Baby Love
by victoriamartynne
Summary: Cordelia feels lonely and is keeping a secret from Angel and the AI gang
1. Chapter One

Cordelia let herself into her apartment and silently thanked herself for leaving the heat on that morning. It wasn't that it was cold outside; it was more like she was cold. It had been a rough day, especially at this time.  
  
First off Angel had gotten back from seeing Buffy. Not a good thing in itself but, hey, she thought. It could have been worse; he could have turned into Angelus again. So he'd come back all broody and then gone out with Fred! Of all people, Crazy Taco Lady!  
  
Why'd he have to go with her? He always turns to me.  
  
She blocked the thought out of her head and shed her coat, hanging it on the peg next to the door.  
  
Then Fred and Angel had gone their separate ways in the sewer and Fred had never come back. But then her parents had turned up. She sighed, they were real nice. Of course Angel had gotten into a fight and Fred had come back unhurt, so why did she feel like she did? Alone, lonely, rejected?  
  
She saw the bathroom light flick on and smiled. "Thanks Dennis, a bath would be great."  
  
She heard the sound of a bath being drawn.  
  
She kicked off her boots and stretched her toes. Heels weren't really a good move when she was going to spend the day running around LA and then fighting a Durslar Beast. Of course, she didn't really do much fighting, but she did help. She threw a few weapons around, that counted as helping.  
  
She heard the taps being turned off so she made her way into the bathroom. "Thanks Dennis, you're the best."  
  
She slipped off her clothes and felt Dennis moving around behind her, picking them up as she climbed into the tub.  
  
She sighed as the water covered her cold skin. "This is heaven."  
  
Mr and Mrs Burkle had been so nice. She hated to think it but they were the parents she'd never had. Fred was so lucky. She remembered back when she got her first boyfriend, Don Elliot, he'd been three years older than she was, eighteen or nineteen. She'd deliberately gone out with him to get a reaction from her Dad. When she told him he'd just nodded and wished her luck then gone back to him papers. She'd broken up with him the next day.  
  
She'd been twelve when she'd gotten her period. She'd been so excited and ran to tell her mom, but she'd given her a box of tampons and asked the maid to tell her how to use them. Cordelia remembered crying for a week about it. Plus she'd got pretty bad cramps so she felt crappy anyway.  
  
Of course, it hadn't all been bad. Her father hadn't really bothered with her but she and her mom got along. They'd have fun shopping and had girly nights where they'd drink champagne and eat strawberries and watch girly films. That had been fun. They'd never been loving and warm like Fred's parents but they'd cared. That is, until they'd abandoned her.  
  
She missed her mom.  
  
Without realising it, a tear had slipped down her cheek. Dennis floated a tissue in front of her. She accepted it gratefully and wiped her eyes. God, she was so pathetic. How could she be jealous of Fred because she had great parents? She had so much more than Fred, a great apartment, a great wardrobe, a fantastic ghost! What did she have?  
  
Parents.  
  
Cordelia felt tears welling up in her eyes. Seeing Fred with her parents had been so amazing. Her parents had never hugged her or kissed her or told her they loved her.  
  
Sometimes she resented them and how bad they made her feel. Even when they weren't with her. She hadn't even seen them for three, maybe four years. How could they still be making her feel so bad?  
  
She pulled the plug out with her toes and climbed out of the tub. She wrapped herself in her terrycloth robe and inspected her face in the mirror. At least her eyes weren't too red, or puffy. Her mascara had run a little but she was going to take it off later anyway.  
  
She padded through into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She really shouldn't but she hadn't had any yet and one glass couldn't hurt. She took a sip; Angel really knew how to pick a good wine.  
  
Angel.  
  
She wandered into the sitting room and curled up in the arm chair next to the phone. She put the wine on the table and picked up the phone. She quickly dialled the familiar number and waited.  
  
Angel's sleep threatened voice answered.  
  
"Hi, it's me." She told him.  
  
"Cordelia?" He sounded confused. "It's like, four in the morning."  
  
"I know." She sighed. "I couldn't sleep."  
  
She heard the sound of sheets rumpling and she assumed he was sitting up. "So you decided to make sure I couldn't sleep too?"  
  
"Yeah." She admitted sheepishly.  
  
"What's up?" He asked, sensing that there was something wrong. "You sound funny."  
  
"Funny?"  
  
"Quiet, upset." He clarified.  
  
"You know me too well." She admitted and took a sip of her wine. "I don't know, I just got thinking about what happened today."  
  
"Which part?"  
  
"Fred's parents turning up." She told him.  
  
"What about them?" He urged.  
  
She shrugged but then realised he couldn't see her. "I just realised when I saw how much they cared for Fred that..." Her voice trailed off as she started to feel tears rise up within her.  
  
"That what?" He urged again, more softly this time.  
  
"That I'm completely alone." She admitted, and let the tears fall. "I'm all alone, Angel!"  
  
"No you're not." He told her firmly. "You are not alone. You have me and Wes and Gunn. And now Fred."  
  
"But I am alone." She argued, wiping at her tears. "I come home from the hotel every night and I'm all alone. There's Dennis, but there's no-one to talk to. I live off frozen meals and takeaway because there's no point cooking for one person. I just wish that there were someone to care how my day was or to cook me dinner or to ask me how I am."  
  
"You wish you didn't live alone?"  
  
"No, I like living alone, most of the time. But sometimes I just wish that I had someone to care about me." Her voice broke. "I wish my parents cared about me. I have no family to speak of; I don't even know where my Mom and Dad are. They can't care about me because if they did I would have heard from them by now. I don't even know if they know I've left Sunnydale."  
  
"What happened back then?" He asked. "You've never spoke of it."  
  
She took a deep breath. "My father was caught by the FBI for tax evasion and the IRS repossessed our house and all our belongings. It was around the time that Xander cheated on me with Willow so I was in the hospital. I always wondered why they didn't come to see me when I was there but when they released me I went back to my house and they'd left a note on the door saying that they'd left town and that if I wanted I could go and live with my grandma in Tulsa! I mean, come on, Tulsa! Like I would leave Sunnydale a couple of months before graduation. I got a job at April Fool's and I spend the first week at one of my friend's houses, I told her that my parents were away and that I didn't want to stop on my own. When I started to earn a little money I got a room at the Sunnydale Motel and I lived there until I graduated. I bought myself a few clothes and a bus ticket and I left for LA. I'd been there a month when I met you. You could say that you and Doyle saved my life." Her heart ached at the mention of Doyle. "But then we lost him."  
  
He heard her dissolve in sobs. "Cor, it's okay, don't cry. I thought you were okay about all that now."  
  
"I thought I was." She sniffed and took a gulp of her wine. "I guess once I get going I throw a bit of everything in."  
  
"Do you want me to come round?" He asked.  
  
"No, I just wanted to talk to someone."  
  
"You know you'll always have me, don't you?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
"No, you know, you know you will always have me. I will always be there for you, no matter what. You are not alone and as long as I am alive you won't be. You've always got me." He told her earnestly. "Say it to me."  
  
"I've always got you." She whispered. "But have I?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Oh, come on Angel, we all know that one day you'll Shanshu and you'll go running back to Buffy. Where will I be then? All on my own." She was starting to feel a bit woozy from the wine and mentally calculated that it had been nine hours since she'd eaten. "You'll just leave me."  
  
"No, I won't."  
  
"You will." She argued.  
  
"Cordelia." He warned. "I won't, I promise I won't leave you. You are the most important person in my life. I will never leave you."  
  
"Everyone leaves me. My parents left me, Xander Harris left me, Doyle left me, even my cat ran away when I was eleven. You'll do just the same."  
  
"That's it." He decided. "I'm coming over."  
  
"But..." He put the phone down just as she was staring to protest. "Dennis, could you unlock the door?"  
  
She felt him move past her and knew he'd done as she asked. "Thank you."  
  
It was about fifteen minutes later when she heard the familiar hum of Angel's Plymouth.  
  
He came through the door looking rumpled and tired.  
  
She said nothing as he came and sat down opposite her.  
  
"You look terrible." He told her.  
  
She shrugged.  
  
"How much have you drank?" He asked, pointing to the glass.  
  
"Just this." She answered.  
  
"Where did all this come from? I've never seen you like this before." He took in the pale face, the red-rimmed eyes and the streaked mascara. "I have to admit, I'm worried."  
  
"Don't be, I'm fine."  
  
"Do you do this often?"  
  
"Do what often?"  
  
"Try to make yourself ill from crying." He told her, waiting for an answer.  
  
"Not that often." She said quietly.  
  
"Be honest with me Cordelia, if you're not happy then I'm not happy. Do you feel like this often?"  
  
Slowly she nodded. "But only recently."  
  
"Why only recently? I thought things were getting good?" The confused look on his face made her want to cry again.  
  
"They were."  
  
"What do you mean 'were'?" He frowned.  
  
"I don't want to talk about this anymore." She told him. "I'm tired and you're tired, you should just go home and go to bed and let me go to bed."  
  
He shook his head. "No."  
  
"What? You're not stopping here and we're not talking anymore." She informed him coldly.  
  
"Your stubbornness isn't going to work this time Cordelia." He warned her. "We are going to talk about this. Is it me?" Her eyes flew to his. "Are you feeling like this because of me? We've been training a lot recently and I thought we were okay. I know the whole Wolfram and Hart vision thing was tough but I thought you knew how much I needed you."  
  
"It isn't you; please believe that it isn't you!" She begged. "Today I saw what it's like to have a family and I realised I missed that." She saw him about to interrupt but she wouldn't let him. "And I know that you are my family, you're the most important person in my life but sometimes I get lonely and I wish I had my Mom and Dad to talk to. I wish I knew where they were and I wish they cared about me and what's happening to me!"  
  
"What is happening to you?" He asked quietly, leaning forward and taking her hand in his.  
  
"Just work and stuff." She replied.  
  
He looked at her for a second and then replied. "You're lying. You just lied to me. Something is going on Cordelia and I am not leaving here until I know what it is!"  
  
"You have no right to say that to me!" She shouted and pulled her hands from his. "You can't demand that I talk to you! If I want to keep things to myself then I will."  
  
"If it affects your work then I have a right to know!" He argued.  
  
"You're not my boss! You screwed that up when you went bad and abandoned us! So don't preach to me about honesty and sharing things. You don't deserve to."  
  
"It's affecting our friendship; don't I deserve to know because of that?"  
  
She shook her head slowly.  
  
He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm only trying to help Cordelia and don't you dare bring Darla into this! I've already apologised for that and I thought you'd forgiven me!"  
  
"Well, maybe I can't forgive some things!" She screamed at him and stood up, tears running down her face. "Maybe I have feelings and maybe I'm hurt and that hurt won't go away. Do you ever think that sometimes I look at you and I see someone who betrays me?"  
  
"Do you?" He stood up with a hurt look on his face.  
  
"Sometimes." She admitted, calming down.  
  
He handed her a tissue. "I'm not going to leave you Cordelia. I'd rather die than hurt you again."  
  
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a stake. He held it out to her. "Take this, if I ever hurt you again, stake me."  
  
She looked at him but didn't take it from him. "I couldn't kill you Angel, you know that."  
  
He put the stake on the arm of her chair. "It's there and you have my word that I won't hurt you again, mainly because I don't want to become a pile of dust but because I would rather be dead than seeing you hurt."  
  
"Really?"  
  
He nodded. "Do you want to tell me what's going on now?"  
  
She sat back down and waited while he'd sat down too. "Not really."  
  
"But you will?"  
  
She nodded slowly.  
  
"If you're in some kind of trouble or you're having a problem with something then telling me will make it better. That's what sharing does." He assured her and took her hands again.  
  
She took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes again. "I made a mistake a couple of months ago."  
  
"Okay, do you need help with something? Help to make it right?"  
  
"It's a bit further along than that." She admitted. "I went out with a man, once. He ended up spending the night. It was a big mistake. I mean, I don't sleep around. After that thing with Wilson and the demon babies I've never really done things... with men... since."  
  
He felt the tension run through her body. "It's okay, it's alright."  
  
She shook her head. "No, it isn't. I started feeling ill about a month ago so I went to my doctor. He did some tests."  
  
Angel felt his body go tense. "You're not sick?"  
  
She shook her head. "I'm pregnant Angel."  
  
His eyes widened and she could tell that she'd shocked him.  
  
"Are you okay?" She asked when he didn't respond.  
  
"You've been drinking." He accused.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're pregnant and you've been drinking."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "I've known about this for a month and this is the first drink I've had. It was only a glass of wine."  
  
"What are you going to do? Have you decided? Are you going to keep it?"  
  
"I don't know. I haven't decided yet."  
  
"Is this why you've been getting yourself upset?" He asked.  
  
"I guess it could have been due to the hormones but Angel, how can I bring a baby into this world? There are vampires and demons and I'm on my own. I can't look after a baby on my own. I'm not even sure I could look after a baby if I had people around me."  
  
"You do have people around you and if you do decide to keep it then they will help you. I will help you." He promised.  
  
"Why are you so un-shocked about this? Why are you so calm?"  
  
"Years of practice." He smiled gently. "I am shocked and I'm not very calm but I'm hiding it well."  
  
"Are you disappointed in me?"  
  
"What for?"  
  
"For sleeping with a man who I don't know and getting myself knocked up." She said bitterly.  
  
"Don't talk about it like that." He urged. "Having a baby is a wonderful thing, don't say knocked up. It implies violence and... There wasn't violence?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, no violence."  
  
"Sometimes we all need something to take away the cold." He said, remembering his sordid night with Darla. "You just have a consequence of it."  
  
"Some consequence." She muttered. "Morning sickness, aching back, great consequence."  
  
He smiled at her. "It'll be okay, I'm here for you."  
  
"You're freaked." She told him, knowing him too well.  
  
"Well, I'm a bit taken aback. When I came over here tonight I was expecting... actually I don't know what I was expecting." He admitted.  
  
"I'm so scared Angel." She confided. "I keep thinking that I'll turn out like my mom if I decide to keep it. I'll just run off and desert it when something turns up. I know how bad I felt when I was abandoned; I'd hate to treat my baby like that."  
  
"Why do you think you'd act like your mom?"  
  
She shrugged. "Maybe because I'm like her. I'm just the same. I look down on people, I'm snippy, I can be a complete bitch sometimes and..."  
  
"That isn't you Cordelia, you are not like that." He thought for a second. "Not anymore, anyway."  
  
She smiled.  
  
"You're caring and loving and the heart of Angel Investigations." He smiled back at her. "You'd be a great mother.  
  
"Oh yeah? I dropped my doll on its head when I was four. I trapped my dog's paw in the library door when I was ten. I'd kill my baby!" She announced, throwing her hands up in the air.  
  
"No, you wouldn't." He insisted. "And the only thing wrong with what you just told me is that you used to have a library."  
  
She looked at him for a moment and then laughed. "I get that."  
  
He leaned forward and kissed her side of her head. "Are you okay now? Maybe you should get some sleep." He suggested.  
  
She rolled her eyes and then wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Now you're going to turn into Mr Protective Guy? I can look after myself Angel; I've been doing it for a long time." She told him kindly. "But thanks."  
  
"Well, if you don't need looking after then maybe you could take a few suggestions."  
  
"Like what? Going to bed?"  
  
He nodded and smiled.  
  
"Okay, but you have to get some sleep too. I woke you up after all." She reminded him.  
  
He looked out of her window. "I'd better go, it'll be light out soon."  
  
"You could stop here." She suggested. "I mean, we wouldn't want you bursting into flames."  
  
He smiled slightly. "Okay."  
  
"I hope you don't hog the covers." She told him lightly and stood up.  
  
"I don't." He assured her and followed her into the bedroom. "Are you sure you're comfortable with this?"  
  
She turned and nodded. "Yeah, I don't really want to be alone right now."  
  
"No, I mean, I could stay on the couch."  
  
"No, it's okay." She assured him, smiling slightly.  
  
She pulled back the covers and then stepped away from the bed. "I need to change, I won't be a minute."  
  
She grabbed a pair of pyjama bottoms and a vest from the chair and made her way to the bathroom to change.  
  
When she went back into the bedroom Angel was sat on the side of the bed still fully clothed but he'd slipped his shoes and socks off.  
  
Cordelia walked around the bed and slipped under the covers. "Make yourself comfortable."  
  
She waited while he'd shed his shirt and pants and gotten into bed before she turned off the light.  
  
They lay in awkward silence for what seemed like hours until Cordelia broke it by speaking. "Thank you for being here tonight."  
  
His hand sought hers in the darkness. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."  
  
She turned on her side, her hand still in his, so she could see his face in the dark. "Sometimes I get so lonely, I got home tonight and I felt it. I hate it."  
  
"We all feel lonely sometimes." He assured her. "Even when we're surrounded by people."  
  
"I suppose I should feel glad I'm not the only one." She replied grumpily. "I need to ask you something."  
  
He squeezed her hand. "Go ahead."  
  
"I need to know you'll be there for me." She told him, her voice soft.  
  
"How?"  
  
"If I decide to have a termination. I need to know you'll be there for me. I don't want to go through it on my own. I need you with me."  
  
"You want me to go with you or support you?" He asked.  
  
"Both." She admitted.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"And if I keep it would you help me?"  
  
"You know I would." He squeezed her hand again.  
  
"I really needed to know that." She murmured.  
  
He leaned his head towards her and kissed her temple. "Goodnight Cordelia."  
  
There was no response. 


	2. Chapter Two

She woke in the morning to an empty bed. She lifted her head and saw Angel, or rather Angel's feet, in the chair in her living room.  
  
She climbed out of bed slowly and shuffled down the hall. "Hey."  
  
He turned and smiled. "Morning, sleep well?"  
  
She nodded. "What time is it?"  
  
"Eleven thirty."  
  
"We should get to work." She exclaimed. "We're an hour late."  
  
"It's okay, I called Wes and told him we'd be late." He reassured her.  
  
"Did you tell him why?" She asked, suddenly looking alarmed.  
  
"No, I told him we were up late talking and that you were still asleep."  
  
"So, it's my fault, huh?" She smiled, teasing him. "I'd better go take a shower and then we can go."  
  
"Take your time." He told her. "Do you want some coffee?"  
  
She pulled a face and then explained. "If I eat or drink something so soon I'll be sick."  
  
He nodded and watched as she went into the bathroom. "We wouldn't want that."  
  
Angel was shrouded in a thick blanket while Cordelia drove them to the Hyperion in his car.  
  
He ran ahead to get out of the sunlight while Cordelia shut off the engine and walked up the path.  
  
He waited at the door for her, in the shade, and opened the door for her.  
  
"Do I tell them?" She whispered as they went inside.  
  
"It's up to you." He told her and squeezed her arm gently in support.  
  
"Morning!" She called out to the other members of Angel Investigations.  
  
"You're late." Wes said moodily, not looking up from his book.  
  
"I'm pregnant." She replied.  
  
Wes looked up sharply and Fred looked like she'd seen a ghost. Gunn nearly fell off his chair. "Excuse me?" Wes was the first to speak.  
  
"I'm pregnant." She looked to Angel for support and he placed his hand on her back, urging her further into the hotel.  
  
"Since when?" Gunn asked, his attention now on Cordelia instead of his game boy.  
  
"A few weeks." She replied and went to sit at her desk.  
  
"Who's the father?" Wes asked and then blushed. "If you don't mind me asking."  
  
"He's called Brian." She told him. "Brian Green."  
  
"How long have you been dating?" Wes pressed.  
  
"We haven't." She told him, looking down. "I slept with him once and I got pregnant."  
  
"What are you going to do?" Fred asked.  
  
"Are you considering abortion?" Wes wanted to know.  
  
She nodded. "Yeah I am. I don't know what I want to do or what I think I'll do. My doctor says I've got another two weeks before I have to make a decision. After that I'd have to give birth to the foetus in an abortion which I don't want to do. Before that time it will be... easier."  
  
"We're all here for you." Gunn told her with a smile, which she returned.  
  
"Thanks." She lowered her head again and took a deep breath.  
  
"What are we working on here?" Angel asked, swiftly changing the subject, sensing that Cordelia was about to get emotional.  
  
Wes seemed to understand and started to tell Angel about one of their new cases.  
  
Cordelia dabbed at her eyes discretely with a tissue and then booted up her computer, ready to start work. She looked up for a brief second and saw Fred looking at her. "What?"  
  
"Oh, nothing." Fred replied and blushed.  
  
"Go on." Cordelia urged.  
  
"I was just wondering what it feels like knowing you have a baby growing inside of you." The Texan told her.  
  
Cordelia shrugged. "Sometimes I feel great, sometimes I feel like I want to kill myself." Wesley's words to Angel faded and everyone turned to look at her.  
  
"Okay, this isn't going to work." She told them. "Can we just pretend that this is just a normal day? Pretend like I haven't told you?"  
  
"If that's what you want." Wes told her and stated talking to Angel again.  
  
As Wesley droned on about the existence of more Durslar Beasts in the city, Angel's eyes strayed to Cordelia who was typing something into her computer. She was pretending to be strong but deep down he knew he wasn't.  
  
They pretended for two weeks. Cordelia didn't come in the last Friday. Angel tried calling her twice and Wes called her cell three times but she didn't answer. They all had a suspicion where she was. They all remembered her telling them that she had to make a decision in two weeks time and they all could have a good guess that she was at the clinic.  
  
She came in Saturday morning smiling. She was wearing a white linen skirt and a red tie top. She had a pair of sunglasses on her head.  
  
"Morning." Angel told her casually.  
  
"Good morning!" She smiled and went to sit at her desk.  
  
"Do you want some coffee?" Fred asked, getting up to put some on.  
  
She nodded. "Thanks, that would be great."  
  
She flicked through the bills someone had thoughtfully left on her desk and discarded them all as not important.  
  
She stood up. "I'm just nipping to the bathroom Fred, I won't be a minute."  
  
She went to the bathroom and felt everyone's eyes on her back.  
  
When she came out she bumped smack into Angel who was hovering on the other side of the door.  
  
"Did you just listen to me pee?" She asked.  
  
"No!" He reassured her, alarmed. "I just wanted to talk."  
  
"Okay." She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Talk."  
  
"Did you go to the clinic yesterday?" He decided to jump straight in.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"So, you..?" He didn't finish the sentence.  
  
She sighed and looked down. "I wanted to. I got up early and went to my appointment. The doctor sent a counsellor in and I talked to her for a while. They sent me in to have it done but at the last minute I changed my mind."  
  
"You did?" He felt a smiled break out on his face. "Really?"  
  
She nodded and then smiled. "Yeah. I'm going to have a baby."  
  
He pulled her into a hug. "That is really good news!"  
  
"You think?" She checked, clinging to his shoulders.  
  
"I know." He assured her.  
  
"You'll help me?"  
  
"Every step of the way." He promised. "And everyone else will. You're not alone."  
  
"I guess they all want to know, huh?" She asked, pulling away from him.  
  
He nodded and smiled at her.  
  
She smiled back.  
  
Without thinking she leaned up and kissed him quickly on the lips, just a light peck.  
  
She pulled away and looked embarrassed.  
  
Angel swallowed hard. "I'm right behind you."  
  
She nodded and went back to the work area.  
  
"Hi guys, I've got something to tell you." She announced and saw their expectant faces. "There's going to be a baby around here soon!"  
  
All she saw was their smiles as tears blurred her eyes.  
  
As Wesley's arms came around her she saw Angel over his shoulder.  
  
"Thank you." She mouthed and the smile he gave her lit up her life.  
  
She was making the right decision.  
  
After talking to Wesley alone in a very emotional conversation she decided that she should call Brian and at least let him know that he was going to have a child.  
  
Wes had confided in her and told her that back in England a girl he had slept with had gotten pregnant and then had an abortion but only told him about it afterwards. Cordelia had been amazed that he'd even shed a few tears as he told her about it which in turn had set her off. He admitted that he felt lonely sometimes and he wondered what life would be like if she had had the baby and let him bring it up. They had a heart to heart and she told him she would call him.  
  
She didn't say anything about it on the phone; she just said she would like to see him. He sounded pleased and agreed to come over the next day after work.  
  
She spent ages selecting the right outfit, something that wouldn't reveal her situation, and then drove everyone mad by pacing and tapping her fingers on the counter. An hour before he was due to arrive Angel and Wes were called out on an emergency but they promised to be back in time.  
  
Forty five minutes later they were still not back and Cordelia was still pacing nervously, pulling down the hem of her shirt anxiously.  
  
"Damn girl, will you cool it?" Gunn complained. "Five more minutes and it'll be me that hurls, not you."  
  
She turned to glare at him but stopped the pacing. "Can you tell that I'm pregnant?"  
  
Fred laid a restraining hand on Gunn's arm before he could say anything more sarcastic than the answers he'd given her the last twice she'd asked the same question. "Cordy, you're only two and a half months gone, you can't tell at all. At least, not with that shirt on."  
  
Cordelia nodded in satisfaction. "Good, that's good. I can handle that. What time did Angel say he and Wesley would be back?"  
  
"As soon as they've killed the demon in the sewers." Gunn answered patiently.  
  
"How long ago did they leave?"  
  
"About a half hour ago." Fred volunteered. "They shouldn't be long now."  
  
"Angel said he'd be back in ten minutes, enough time for him to be back before Brian gets here!"  
  
"I'm sure he'll be back in time." Fred reassured her with a smile. "Do you want some coffee? I could nip out and get you a cappuccino."  
  
Cordelia smiled at her. "No, I'm fine, but thanks."  
  
The door to the Hyperion opened and a tall dark haired man stepped in.  
  
Cordelia turned at the sound of the door, hoping that it was Angel. "Brian, hi."  
  
He smiled. "Cordelia, good to see you."  
  
"Come in." She invited him with a nervous smile. "Can I get you some coffee?"  
  
"No, I'm fine thanks." He declined. "I have to set off on a business trip to Chicago later on tonight. I'm hoping I can get some sleep."  
  
"Okay." There were a couple of moments of awkward silence before Cordelia spoke again. "These are my colleagues Charles Gunn and Fred Burkle. Fred, Gunn, this is Brian."  
  
They exchanged awkward pleasantries.  
  
"There was a reason I asked you here tonight." Cordelia told him and went to sit on the couch, indicating that he should sit next to her.  
  
Brian looked relieved. "There was?"  
  
She nodded. "I know it's been a while since I last saw you but some things have happened since then that I need to tell you about."  
  
"That was a good night." He told her reminiscently and then remembered that Fred and Gunn were in the room and blushed.  
  
Cordelia cleared her throat. "I'm just going to jump right in here because this is kind of awkward. After we... spent the night together I went to my doctor and there's something I have to tell you."  
  
His face seemed to go white. "Oh my God, you've got AIDS haven't you?"  
  
"No!" She reassured him.  
  
"Then you've got a STD! Come on, what is it? Syphilis? Herpes?"  
  
"No! I don't sleep around!" She argued, getting angry.  
  
"Well, you could have fooled me!" He retorted.  
  
"Excuse me?" She exclaimed. "It wasn't me that slept with a hooker once!"  
  
"I told you that in good faith!" He shouted angrily.  
  
"There's nobody here!"  
  
"That is not the point!"  
  
"Look, I didn't invite you here to argue with you. I wanted to tell you that I'm pregnant." She told him, calming down.  
  
She saw that Gunn had come around the counter and was standing with his arms folded looking menacingly at Brian.  
  
"Is it mine?" He asked bluntly.  
  
Cordelia's mouth opened and shut like a fish. "Of course it's yours!"  
  
"Well, you can't blame me for asking. What is it that you want? Money?"  
  
She shook her head. "I don't want anything. I just thought it would be the right thing to do to tell you that you're going to have a baby. I want nothing from you."  
  
"Okay, great, so now what?"  
  
"You get the hell out of my home and never come near me again. I thought you were a good guy. At least, I did until you never called but after all this time I thought I'd give you the benefit of the doubt." She told him, no emotion in her voice. "I was wrong. Congratulations! You're going to be a daddy! Now get out!"  
  
Brian looked at her angrily for a moment before setting off for the door. Before he reached it he swung around. "You know what?"  
  
"What?" She asked almost wearily.  
  
"You were lousy in bed!" He told her in response, clearly saying the only thing that came to mind.  
  
"Yeah right, I'm the best you'll ever have!"  
  
"You wish!"  
  
"Well, just so you know? It's not normal! It doesn't happen to most men and it is a big deal!" She shouted to his back as he walked through the open door, bright red and embarrassed.  
  
She turned back around and saw Angel and Wesley standing in the door to the sewer access. "How long have you been there?"  
  
"A couple of minutes." Angel replied, leaning easily against the doorframe. "I take it that was Brian."  
  
She nodded but said nothing.  
  
"Well." Angel replied after a moment. "He seems like an idiot, we'll cope without him."  
  
Slowly, Cordelia smiled. "I guess so." 


	3. Chapter Three

After the Brian fiasco Cordelia decided that she wanted to call someone else. It was more complicated and required a lot of her detective skills to get the number but she managed it.  
  
She dialled the number quickly before she could chicken out and waited while someone picked up.  
  
"Mom, hi!" Cordelia said into the phone.  
  
"Cordelia? Where are you?" Her mother's voice was still achingly familiar.  
  
"I'm in LA, where are you? I got your cell off a man at Daddy's old office." She explained.  
  
"Darling we're in San Francisco, it's absolutely divine!" She gushed.  
  
"Could you come and see me?" Cordelia asked her, biting her lip.  
  
"Of course I can!" Her mother sounded pleased. "Daddy and I could come up at the weekend. Is that okay?"  
  
"Yeah, that would be great." Cordelia agreed with a smile.  
  
"What shall I tell the taxi driver at the airport?"  
  
"Hyperion Hotel."  
  
"You're living at a hotel?" Disapproval was evident in her voice.  
  
"No, I work at a hotel." Cordelia clarified.  
  
"As what? Please don't tell me a maid!"  
  
Cordelia laughed. "No, out detective agency is based in a hotel. I'll be there at the weekend."  
  
"Oh." Mrs Chase sounded relieved. "That's sounds... interesting. Well, see you then!"  
  
"What time?" Cordelia thought to ask before she hung up.  
  
"Around one I should think but if we'll be any later I'll call. Bye!"  
  
Cordelia listened to the dial tone and then placed the phone back in the receiver. It had gone better than she'd expected. Her mother was still the same. It would be her father that would cause problems. He would still be bitter about the money he'd lost and still bitter that Cordelia had turned down the marriage proposal from one of her father's business associates. But she could put up with that if it meant she'd get to see her mom again. She'd put aside the pain she'd caused her in the past. Most of the time they'd been friends. Maybe they could be friends again.  
  
Cordelia was happy when she set off for the hotel. Angel had been right; she should have tried to find her parents before now. And it hadn't been that hard to do. One phone call to her dad's old office and they'd put her through to his new accountant who had given her his new cell number.  
  
She skipped across the street and set off on the ten minute walk. It was a nice day and she liked to walk when it was warm.  
  
She'd noticed the jeans she'd put on that morning were a little tight and she could feel them pulling now as she walked. Pretty soon they wouldn't fit at all. She already had a small bulge and her doctor told her that within the next three weeks she'd suddenly grow big.  
  
She supposed it would probably be a good idea if she went maternity clothes shopping. If only Dolce did baby clothes, she mused.  
  
She decided as she spotted the Hyperion to call for coffee and bagels in the little café across the street.  
  
The owner, Michaela, knew Cordelia as she was a regular customer and left the kitchen to come and say hello.  
  
"Cordelia, hi! Long time no see. What happened? You find someone who sells better coffee than me?" She teased with a smile.  
  
Cordelia laughed. "Never! I'll take six bagels and a Caramel Decaf Cap to go, thanks."  
  
"You got it." Michaela wrote it down and handed the order to one of her waitresses who rolled her eyes at her boss but did as she was told. "So, what's new with you? The last time I saw you I think you were complaining of re-heeling costs. How's that going?"  
  
Cordelia laughed and Michaela came around the counter to talk to her. "Well, since then I've ruined two pairs of Jimmy's and..."  
  
She was cut off at Michaela's small scream. "What?"  
  
"Are you?" She asked, pointing to Cordelia's stomach with a gleeful look on her face.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Cordelia smiled. "I'm pregnant."  
  
"How far gone are you?" She asked, putting a hand on Cordelia's stomach.  
  
"About three months."  
  
"Oh, congratulations!" The older woman hugged Cordelia. "Is there a daddy in the picture?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. I'm doing it on my own. Or rather, I'm going to be a single mom in theory. Angel and the other guys over the road are all going to help me."  
  
"That's great; I wish I had the guts to do what you're doing." The waitress handed her Cordelia's order.  
  
Cordelia pulled a twenty out of her purse and started to hand it to her but Michaela shook her head and shoved it back to her. "No, these are on me, I insist!"  
  
"Oh, thank you! But don't let yourself go out of business huh? Where else would I get the best coffee in town?"  
  
They both laughed. "Have a good day!" Michaela called to her, going back into the kitchen.  
  
"You too!"  
  
She left the café and crossed the road, walking up the path to the front doors of the hotel.  
  
She pushed open the doors and saw weapons all over the floor of the lobby. "What on Earth..?"  
  
Gunn looked up and winked at her. "Wes wanted a weapons inventory done by the time he gets back from the library so we thought we'd make a mess and see how long it takes him to get mad."  
  
She laughed and stepped over a wicked looking contraption that Fred had fashioned. "Cool looking sword Fred."  
  
"Thanks, I figured that an expandable arm on a sword that can swing three hundred and sixty degrees would be a useful addition to our collection. That is if I can get it to work." Fred frowned.  
  
Cordelia raised an eyebrow at her and went to perch on the corner of Angel's desk. "I've got bagels. I know you're not a foodie but maybe you could dip it in blood. Kinda like soup and roll."  
  
Angel looked up and her and laughed. "Soup and roll? I don't think so. But I'll take one plain."  
  
She handed him one and took one for herself. "What're you up to? Except not helping with the inventory."  
  
"I'm trying to find a connection between two of our cases. I know it's there I just don't know where." His forehead was creased in concentration.  
  
"Guess what I did." She told him, poking his arm with her finger.  
  
He put his pen down and looked up. "Get yourself pregnant?"  
  
She poked him again. "Yeah, yeah old news. What else?"  
  
"I have no idea." He gave in quickly. Knowing Cordelia it could be anything.  
  
"I got my dad's cell phone number and talked to my mom."  
  
"That's great. Did you tell her?"  
  
She shook her head. "She and Daddy are living in San Francisco so they're coming up at the weekend to see me. Isn't it great?"  
  
He nodded. "Yeah, do they need somewhere to stay because I'm sure I could clean out a couple of rooms before then?"  
  
"No, they'll be fine. It's one thing seeing them but I don't know about them staying here." She wrinkled her nose. "It was bad enough living with them for seventeen years."  
  
"So, scared?"  
  
She nodded. "Terrified."  
  
"It'll be okay." He squeezed her hand.  
  
She stared down at their intertwined fingers. "I know."  
  
The weekend came quickly and Cordelia had practically turned into a nervous wreck.  
  
They didn't have much work so she'd had a lot of time to think and imagine worst case scenarios.  
  
Cordelia was up early Saturday and at the hotel before Angel was even up.  
  
She spent the morning cleaning and tidying. Wesley tried frequently to get her to sit down and rest but she just dismissed him.  
  
It was a relief to everyone when a cab pulled up outside.  
  
Mrs Chase came through the door of the Hyperion at two thirty wearing a shocking pink suit with pink stilettos and purse dragging a stylish plush leather wheeled case behind her.  
  
She walked up to the counter and pressed the small sliver bell. "Hello?"  
  
"Yo." Gunn greeted her from his position at Cordelia's desk. "Can I help?"  
  
Mrs Chase looked taken aback. "I'm looking for my daughter."  
  
"Oh, you're Cordy's mom." Realisation dawned. "I'll go get her."  
  
He came around the counter and took off up the stairs to where he knew Cordelia was fretting. She'd eventually gone up there to rearrange Angel's closet and then his dresser and then his book collection in an attempt to keep busy.  
  
A couple of minutes later Cordelia came trotting down the stairs. "Mom?"  
  
"Oh, Cordelia darling!" Her mother exclaimed and came rushing across the lobby to capture her daughter in her arms. "I've missed you!"  
  
Cordelia sank into her mother's embrace willingly. "I missed you too!"  
  
"Look how pretty you got, blonde suits you. I'd have never thought it!"  
  
Mrs Chase pulled away to look at her. "You're practically glowing! You should tell me the name of your dermatologist."  
  
"I don't see a dermatologist Mom." Cordelia laughed.  
  
"Really? You look like that naturally? Wow! You must have had good genes."  
  
Cordelia laughed and hugged her mom again. "It's so good to see you."  
  
Up on the balcony above Angel and Gunn watched the scene between mother and daughter.  
  
"Where's Daddy?"  
  
"Oh, he had to work so I came on my own!" Mrs Chase noticed Angel and Gunn and whispered to Cordelia. "Who's the hot guy?"  
  
Cordelia looked upstairs and smiled. "That's Angel. He's my friend."  
  
"Do I get to meet him?" Her mother whispered back.  
  
"I thought we might go out and get some lunch first. I could do with some fresh air. How does that sound?" Cordelia asked, already reaching for her bag.  
  
"Perfect." She turned to the balcony. "Goodbye handsome man!"  
  
Angel and Gunn both waved and then turned to look at each other as Cordelia and Mrs Chase left.  
  
Cordelia and her mother sat in the sunlight outside of one of Cordelia's favourite restaurants sipping iced tea.  
  
"So, how have you been?" Mrs Chase asked.  
  
"I've been good. Recently."  
  
"What do you mean recently? What happened in the past?"  
  
"I struggled for a while after you left." Cordelia told her truthfully, wanting her to know what she'd been through. "I had to go and live at a friend's house because the IRS wanted to repossess our house. I managed to get a few clothes and I got a job at April Fools until I graduated. Then I came to LA trying to be an actress." She laughed. "I was hopeless! I bumped into Angel at a party and he rescued me. I started out as a secretary and I ended up being his friend. I practically run that business. I have a great apartment and great friends. I'm happy."  
  
"I'm glad." Mrs Chase touched her daughter's fingers gently. "And I am sorry for what you went through. I wanted to take you with us but I couldn't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It would have been... well, it would have been too dangerous."  
  
"Why? It was only tax evasion."  
  
"It wasn't." Her mother told her, looking down and picking at her cuticles.  
  
"Wasn't what?"  
  
"Only tax evasion."  
  
"What do you mean?" Despite the heat Cordelia shivered.  
  
"Your father's business was involved in something and your father was blamed. I don't know whether he did it or not and I don't want to but it meant that we had to leave the country for a while."  
  
"Did what?" Cordelia demanded.  
  
"A man was killed."  
  
"Daddy killed someone!" Cordelia exclaimed.  
  
"No! Shush!" Mrs Chase insisted. "I don't know. I don't want to know. Your father and I went to Canada for a year and changed our identities. By the time we returned the authorities had blamed and tried someone else. We moved to San Francisco and your father joined an accountancy firm. We have a nice house, not as big as our old one, but it's nice. I did try to find you. I called the school but the number was disconnected. I found out after that there'd been an explosion. You weren't involved in that were you?"  
  
Cordelia made a so-so motion with her hand. "Sort of."  
  
Her mother shrugged. "You're here so I'm not bothered! Anyway, I tried Sunnydale authorities but no-one knew where you were. I even tried Harmony, did you know Harmony died?"  
  
Cordelia nodded.  
  
"And Aura, but she'd gone away to college. I just couldn't find you." Mrs Chase said helplessly. "But now I have! Or rather, you found me. Why did you decide to find me?"  
  
"Well, I had something I wanted to tell you." Cordelia told her, taking a deep breath.  
  
"You did?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to have a baby mom."  
  
Mrs Chase seemed frozen in her seat.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"I'm going to be a grandma!" Mrs Chase exclaimed and jumped up to run around the table and hug her daughter. "I'm going to be a grandma!"  
  
"You're okay with it?" Cordelia asked, amazed by her mother's affection.  
  
"Darling, I'm ecstatic!" She kissed Cordelia's forehead and then went back to sit in her seat. "This is wonderful news! We should celebrate!"  
  
She snapped her fingers at a passing waiter. "We'll take a bottle of wine for me and an iced tea for my beautiful pregnant daughter!"  
  
The waited raised an eyebrow but wrote the order down.  
  
Cordelia laughed. "You are just the same."  
  
"You're not, you're so much more! So, who's the father?"  
  
"An asshole." She replied stonily. "He's not in the picture anymore."  
  
"Good for you. You'll need things for the baby then won't you? Just because you aren't with the father shouldn't mean you have to buy everything yourself!"  
  
"You have Daddy's credit card don't you?" Cordelia smiled.  
  
"What else?" She spotted the waiter coming back with their food and the drinks. "Ooh, here comes my wine!"  
  
Cordelia laughed again. It was so good to see her mom; it was just like the old days. And she hadn't made a big deal about Brian. Or the lack of Brian. And if she didn't have to pay for everything herself then that was a plus!  
  
After lunch Cordelia and Mrs Chase went to Rodeo Drive and shopped. Cordelia had never actually bought anything on Rodeo Drive since she'd moved to LA, mainly because she couldn't afford it. Before, she and her mom had come to LA a couple of times to buy gowns to wear at the many parties they used to go to.  
  
With Mrs Chase with her flashing her credit cards they got the best treatment. First they picked up some great maternity clothes off the rack but then Mrs Chase treated her to some designer pieces. She bought her some black Prada sweats that she knew would be great for when she got really big as they were really stretchy. They went into Dolce and Gabbana where Mrs Chase bought herself a pale pink cashmere jumper and some loose shirts for Cordelia.  
  
When they got outside they hailed a cab and they went to Babyworld where Mrs Chase ordered the essentials Cordelia would need and arranged for them to be delivered to the Hyperion.  
  
They got back in a cab and Mrs Chase took Cordelia back to the Hyperion.  
  
"I'll call you tonight dear, I need to go back to my hotel, I have a facial booked. Maybe we could do something tonight? Or we could go and take a walk tomorrow in the park?" She suggested through the cab window.  
  
"Call me tonight and we can do something tomorrow. I'll be working late tonight." Cordelia told her. "I had a really good afternoon Mom."  
  
"Me too darling, talk to you soon!" Mrs Chase blew her a kiss and the cab set off.  
  
Cordelia walked up the path to the Hyperion swinging her bags. She wasn't lying, she really had had a good afternoon.  
  
She opened the door and went inside. "Hello!"  
  
Angel was sat on the counter reading a file. "Hey."  
  
"Where is everyone?" She asked, walking across the lobby.  
  
He put the file down. "They went out for food."  
  
"All three of them?"  
  
"Well, Gunn and Fred were going to go and then they insisted that Wes go with them because he hadn't left his office since he came in." He smiled. "How did your afternoon go?"  
  
"Amazing." She smiled. "We talked, we ate, we shopped. It was perfect. And she's really excited about the baby!"  
  
"That's good. Are you seeing her tonight?"  
  
"No, I thought I'd get some work done so we could do something tomorrow. Do you think Wes will mind me taking the day off?"  
  
He shook his head. "No."  
  
She leaned against his leg. "You know, for the first time I feel happy about everything. I've told you guys and I've told my mom and you're all happy. Brian was a bust but he doesn't matter anymore."  
  
"I'm glad you're happy."  
  
"You know, my mom suggested something to me this afternoon." She told him casually.  
  
"What was that?" He asked warily.  
  
"She said that I should start going to Lamaze classes at the community centre down the road."  
  
"What are Lamaze classes?"  
  
"They're classes that you can go to which help you prepare for having your baby. They go over breathing exercises and they help you pick what kind of birth you want. Stuff like that."  
  
"Oh, that sounds good. Are you going to go?"  
  
"I think so. But I'll need a birthing partner first."  
  
"A what?"  
  
She smiled. "Someone who goes to the classes with you and helps you when you go into labour."  
  
"Are you going to go with your mom?"  
  
"Well, she's going back to San Francisco on Monday and I don't want to risk going into labour and she's not there."  
  
"What about Fred?" He suggested. "She seems calm and good in a crisis."  
  
She smiled at his words. "Good in a crisis, is that what this is?"  
  
He laughed. "Of course not, that came out wrong. Who did you have in mind?"  
  
"You." She told him.  
  
"Me?"  
  
Yeah, you."  
  
"I don't think that I'd be a very good person for that." He stammered.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I'm old and I wouldn't know what the hell was going on. And when people had babies in my day they were surrounded by women. And I'm, you know, a guy." He finished lamely.  
  
"So? Angel, it isn't as if I'm going to have you delivering the baby. All you have to do is stand by my head, and I do emphasise head, and hold my hand, keep me calm and whatever." She told him. "It's not that scary. It is me having the baby, you know."  
  
"I know but people might think I'm the father and I'm not and wouldn't you rather have a woman?"  
  
"Angel, if you don't want to do it then just say so. I'll tell people you're my friend. Besides, I'd rather have people thinking you're the dad than them thinking Brian is the dad. You're the person I want there but if you don't want to then its fine."  
  
"No, I'd like to if you don't think I'll be useless."  
  
"I'm sure." She squeezed his knee. "Thank you, I'll book a night class for us to start next week."  
  
He let his hand drift to her shoulder. "Do you think that..?"  
  
"Yo Cordy, we got Mexican!" Gunn interrupted, coming through the hotel door with Wes and Fred, carrying three carrier bags.  
  
"Great!" She told him and then turned to Angel. "What were you saying?"  
  
He removed his hand from her shoulder. "Nothing, it doesn't matter."  
  
He jumped of the counter, letting Gunn put the bags down.  
  
Nothing Cordelia, I was just about to ask a pregnant woman to go out for dinner with a person who doesn't even eat. But it doesn't matter, he thought, she wouldn't have said yes anyway. 


	4. Chapter Four

Mrs Chase came to the Hyperion early Sunday morning to meet everyone.  
  
"Hello!" She announced, coming through the doors wearing a bright red skirt suit with open toe peep shoes. "I'm here!"  
  
Cordelia jumped up from her desk and waved her over. "Hey Mom, sleep alright?"  
  
"Like a log, I had my facial and then a Chinese herbal massage. It was very relaxing. How was the morning sickness?"  
  
"Bearable." She told her.  
  
"I booked you in for a massage too this afternoon. A special rose petal one. It's supposed to be very soothing. If you want I could arrange for manicures and pedicures. I might even join you. When in LA!"  
  
"Get a manicure?" Cordelia laughed.  
  
"Precisely!" Mrs Chase decided. "Now, please tell me just who is that stunning looking man!"  
  
She pointed to where Angel and Gunn were sorting through the books on the bookcase.  
  
Both of them looked up.  
  
"Which one?" Cordelia whispered.  
  
"The tall brooding one." She whispered back.  
  
"That's Angel." Cordelia told her, adding stress to his name.  
  
Mrs Chase caught it. "Oh. Angel!"  
  
Angel was grinning from ear to ear while Gunn looked slightly put out. "Mrs Chase, it's so good to finally meet you!"  
  
"And you too." She purred and held out her hand which Angel accepted.  
  
Cordelia elbowed her. "And that is Charles Gunn."  
  
Gunn bounded across to shake her hand.  
  
"Nice strong handshake." Mrs Chase commented. "I like that in a man."  
  
Fred and Wes chose that moment to come out of the office. "Oh, we have a guest." Fred exclaimed. "Hi, I'm Fred."  
  
"Wesley Wyndham-Price." Wes introduced himself.  
  
"Oh, an Englishman! Cordelia, you didn't tell me you worked with an Englishman! They're so polite."  
  
Fred giggled and Wes just blushed.  
  
"Why don't I get you some coffee?" Cordelia suggested.  
  
"Darling, you should get off your feet! I'll make the coffee."  
  
"Do you know how to make coffee?" She asked.  
  
"Okay, you make the coffee and I'll talk to your friends." She decided and perched on the end of the Cordelia's chair.  
  
Cordelia made a pot of regular coffee and made herself a decaf.  
  
She went back to the office area to discover her mom talking about Cordelia's childhood.  
  
"Well, I think we need a change of subject here." She decided, handing her mother a mug.  
  
"Come on Barbie, we were just hearing about how you threw a tantrum when you were given an Armani dress for your eighth birthday instead of a Gucci one." He grinned.  
  
She poked him in the side. "I so did not."  
  
"I beg to differ." Her mother disagreed.  
  
Cordelia's phone started to ring which put an end to the conversation. She grabbed it gratefully. "Angel Investigations."  
  
She got engrossed in taking a history from a client and when she'd done Fred was showing her mom how to make Origami birds.  
  
She walked across to Angel and handed him the sheet of lined paper she'd wrote the details down on. "Here."  
  
He took it and scanned it quickly. "Your mom is nice."  
  
Cordelia shrugged. "She's okay most of the time. She's the only one I've got."  
  
"At least you have one." He reminded her. "Are you going to see your dad again?"  
  
She frowned. "I doubt it. My mom told me a few things about him. About why they left me. It wasn't her idea, she didn't want to. He made her leave me. I'll tell you about it later."  
  
"Okay." He smiled.  
  
"And then you can tell me what you were going to tell me yesterday." She told him pointedly.  
  
"When?"  
  
"You know when." She told him, slapping him on his arm. "I'm not dumb Angel; I know you were going to tell me something. I know you too well."  
  
He watched as she walked back to her mom. She was right; she did know him too well.  
  
Cordelia enjoyed her massage that much that she booked to have another one closer to her due date. Her finger and toe nails looked all pink and shiny.  
  
Cordelia said goodbye to Mrs Chase that night because she was leaving early in the morning to get back for a lunch she had to attend in San Francisco.  
  
"Promise me you'll call if you need anything." Mrs Chase told her, hugging her close. "Anything at all."  
  
"I promise."  
  
"I'll come and see you soon." She promised.  
  
"Or I could come and see you and Daddy." Cordelia suggested. "I have a car, I could drive through."  
  
"Not in your condition!" Mrs Chase told her aghast. "I'll send a car."  
  
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Fine."  
  
"Goodbye darling. Here's money for your cab home." She told her, thrusting a twenty in hand. "Look after yourself and my granddaughter!"  
  
"Granddaughter? How do you know it's a girl?"  
  
"I have a feeling! Goodbye darling!"  
  
Cordelia waved and went out of the hotel to grab a cab. She caught one quickly and told him to drive her back to the Hyperion.  
  
She still had some paperwork she should have already done. With her mom being in LA she hadn't done much work. She didn't want to make Wesley mad.  
  
Within minutes they'd pulled up outside the Hyperion. She paid the driver and ran up the path. It had dropped cold and she hadn't thought to take her coat with her.  
  
There was no-one in the hotel when she got back but Angel had left a note on her desk saying that they'd gone to clean out a vamp nest downtown.  
  
She smiled as she read the last line 'Eat something!'  
  
Doing as she was told she went into the small kitchen to make herself a sandwich.  
  
By the time she'd had two cups of coffee, a tuna sandwich and checked her e- mails they came back.  
  
"Anyone need patching up?" She asked as they trooped in, dropping weapons and coats on the couch. "Angel?"  
  
"Why do you always assume that I got hurt?" He asked.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Because you always get hurt."  
  
"Well, not this time. Did you get something to eat?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, I did as I was told. This time anyway."  
  
He smiled and came to sit down next to her. "I was surprised you came back, you should have gone home."  
  
"I've got a lot of work to catch up on. I thought I'd stay late and catch up."  
  
Wes heard as he walked past. "There really is no need. The world will not end if you don't finish filing."  
  
"Anyone would think that's all I did!" She complained with a grin.  
  
Wes smiled. "You should go home and rest."  
  
"Because I had such a stressful day doing nothing." She told him sarcastically. "No, it's okay, I'll hibernate here for a couple of hours and then I'll go home."  
  
"If you insist." Wes told her, picking up a couple of files and a book. "I'm going home. See you all tomorrow!"  
  
"Bye Wes!" Fred called out from where she was talking with Gunn. "Hey Cordy, do you think Gunn should grow his hair?"  
  
"No." She replied simply.  
  
"There you go Fred, don't go getting any ideas!" He warned. "I'm going to take off too. You wanna go get Mexican?" He asked Fred.  
  
"Sure!" They cast quick waves over their shoulders as they left.  
  
Leaving Cordelia and Angel alone.  
  
They worked in silence for about ten minutes and then Cordelia threw her pen down. "I'm bored!"  
  
He looked up and grinned. "I was wondering how long it would take for that to happen."  
  
"So, tell me what you were going to ask me." She pressed.  
  
He looked uncomfortable. "It was nothing."  
  
"It was." She argued. "Come on Angel, it's me. You can talk to me about anything."  
  
"I was just wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner with me one night. On our own. Just us."  
  
"I'd love to." She replied, smiling.  
  
"You would?"  
  
"Why wouldn't I?"  
  
"I don't know." He admitted.  
  
"Is this anything to do with me being pregnant?" She suddenly asked. "Because if you feel like you have to pity the pregnant woman then..."  
  
"No!" He reassured her. "No. I've wanted to ask you for a while. Before you told me."  
  
She nodded. "It's just that sometimes I wonder if I'm going to end up alone."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because of the baby. I'll be a single mom Angel; no-one wants a single mom. It's extra baggage. I'm going to be on my own with a baby. No man will want me." She told him what she had been feeling. "And then I think that if I want to have a relationship with a man I'm going to have to not have the baby. But thinking about it, I really do want it. I can't get rid of it. It's a part of me now, a part of who I am. It's like I have to pick. A baby or a man."  
  
"Well, your last encounter with a man wasn't exactly outstanding."  
  
She burst out laughing. "That's true!"  
  
"Let me go and make you some coffee and then we'll talk." He promised and squeezed her hand. "Okay?"  
  
She nodded and grabbed her pen again, intent on doing some more work.  
  
When he came back Cordelia was slumped over her desk asleep.  
  
He smiled and set the coffee down on the counter. He slipped an arm under her legs and the other across her back and lifted her from her chair. Her head rested against his chest and he could smell her shampoo. Coconut and a hint of lime. She carried her upstairs and took her to the room Wes used sometimes.  
  
He lay her down on the bed and slipped her shoes off. He covered her with a thick blanket and made sure the radiator was on.  
  
Before he left her brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.  
  
"Goodnight Cordelia." He whispered, looking at her lovingly. "I'll see you in the morning."  
  
She apologised for falling asleep when she woke up and found he had made her breakfast.  
  
"I get eggs and toast? Wow!" She exclaimed. "I fall asleep on you when we were going to talk and I get good food? I should go into a coma next time and see what you make me."  
  
He laughed. "I wanted to make sure you ate well, you are eating for two now."  
  
"Yeah yeah, like I need to be reminded." She took a bite of egg. "This is amazing!"  
  
"I like to cook." He told her, drinking his own breakfast.  
  
"You don't eat." She pointed out.  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know where I get it from. It relaxes me."  
  
She nodded. "I get that. So, you wanted to talk last night?"  
  
"It was not so much as me wanting to talk." He stuttered. "It was more a mutual decision to talk about... It doesn't matter. We can talk anytime. Wes and Gunn will be here soon and I'm sure Fred will come downstairs any minute."  
  
She nodded. "Okay. I'll look forward to it then." 


	5. Chapter Five

That Thursday Cordelia and Angel went to a Lamaze class at the community centre. There were eight couples, not including themselves and the 'leader' Emily. She started off by making them introduce themselves and their partners and say when their due date was. Most of them were due around the same time as Cordelia and all of them were with their husbands.  
  
"Right, now that we all know each other we'll start the class. We always start by watching a video of a woman giving birth. This is just so you know what you will be facing when the time comes." Emily smiled, slipping a tape in the VCR. "Now, don't be alarmed at this point. In the coming weeks I'm going to show you some breathing exercises and I'm going to tell you all about the different kinds of pain relief you can have. Okay, let's get started."  
  
"So, this means that the tape is going to freak me out, huh?" Cordelia whispered to Angel.  
  
"Of course not." He whispered back.  
  
"Don't start on the giving birth is a wonderful thing again." She warned. "And give me your hand to squeeze if I freak out."  
  
He obligingly gave her his hand and stared intently at the screen.  
  
By the time the woman in the video was ten centimetres dilated Cordelia was early green. The screams and the panting and the stretching were bringing into reality what she was going to have to do.  
  
By the time she'd given birth Angel's hand was almost boneless.  
  
"Are you okay?" He whispered as Emily turned the lights on.  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"Do you want to go outside?"  
  
She nodded, still clinging to his hand.  
  
"We're just going to get some air." Angel announced and led Cordelia out of the room.  
  
"What the hell was that?" She almost screamed when they got outside. "I mean, that was the beautiful thing? Uh huh."  
  
"Uh huh what?"  
  
"I'm not doing that." She informed him.  
  
He almost laughed. "What do you mean you're not doing that?"  
  
"There is no way I am doing that! All the pain... and the pain! I don't think so!"  
  
"Well what are you planning to do?"  
  
"It's gonna have to stay in there!" She decided. "Problem solved!"  
  
"Cordelia..."  
  
"I know!" She snapped. "Do not make this worse! That was not a beautiful thing! That was pain and torture and stretching of places that don't really want to be stretched!"  
  
"But you get a baby in the end." He pointed out, trying to soothe her.  
  
"I could get a baby off Ebay Angel!" She shouted. "I can't do that." Her voice faltered.  
  
He came towards her and put his arms around her. "Yes you can."  
  
"No, I can't." She argued, her voice muffled against his coat.  
  
"Yes, you can."  
  
"Do it for me?"  
  
He laughed. "I would if I could."  
  
"Really?" She turned her head upwards so she could look at him.  
  
He nodded. "I would."  
  
"Wow, that means a lot."  
  
He kissed her forehead gently. "I'll be there for you. I promise."  
  
As she looked into his brown eyes, she knew he was telling the truth. He would be there for her. "Thank you."  
  
He smiled.  
  
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Really. Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Angel took Cordelia to a small café to calm down before they went back to the hotel.  
  
He held the door open for her and they went inside.  
  
"How was Lamaze?" Wes asked.  
  
Cordelia winced. "We're not going back."  
  
"Why not?" Fred asked.  
  
Cordelia looked up at Angel desperately.  
  
"It's not for us." He replied, urging her to sit down.  
  
"Okay." Wes knew to drop it.  
  
"I'll get you some water." He told her, shrugging off his coat.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"So, what happened?" Wes asked Angel when they were in the kitchen and out of ear shot of Cordelia.  
  
"They made us watch a birthing video and it freaked her out." Angel explained.  
  
"Oh." Wes replied.  
  
"Have you seen one?"  
  
"Yes, I saw one on the Discovery Channel one night. It was... graphic."  
  
"Yeah, it was. They really shouldn't show one of those to women who are going to have to do it." Angel fumed. "She was completely freaked out, really scared. I spent half an hour calming her down in a café."  
  
"Don't you think she should go back?"  
  
"She's refusing."  
  
He filled a glass with water. "And to be quite honest, I don't blame her."  
  
Angel took Cordelia to her favourite restaurant Saturday night. They hadn't spoke of the Lamaze class since Thursday night but Cordelia had told her she planned to talk to her doctor about forms of pain relief so she didn't have to go to any more classes.  
  
They'd decided to go out because Wes had to go and meet a Shaman to discuss protection spells for the hotel for when the baby was born.  
  
He'd given everyone else the night off.  
  
Cordelia made an effort to get dressed up and had put on a pair of black pants and one of her new designer shirts.  
  
To her surprise Angel had also got dressed up. Or rather, he'd got dressed up compared to what he normally wore. He's put on a cranberry coloured short and a pair of black jeans.  
  
He made sure she was comfortable before sitting down himself.  
  
"You look really pretty tonight." He told her.  
  
She smiled. "Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself. I told you that colours suited you."  
  
He shifted uncomfortably. "I thought I'd make an effort."  
  
She touched his fingers. "I like it."  
  
He gripped her fingers in his. "I like it too."  
  
Suddenly, she realised he wasn't talking about clothes anymore. "Angel, you know how much I love you, right?"  
  
He nodded. "Yeah, I do. You know how much I love you?"  
  
"Probably the same amount as I love you." She smiled. "I hope nothing changes between us when I have the baby."  
  
"It won't." He promised.  
  
"How do you know that?" She asked, looking worried. "I really don't want to stop working or lose you. I don't want things to change just because I have a baby with me. I want to work and see you guys and do everything I already do."  
  
"You can do that." He assured her.  
  
"But what if I can't? You know the danger we face everyday. I don't want to put my baby in danger. But I don't want to have to leave." He realised that there were tears in her eyes and tightened his grip on her fingers. "I'm so scared that my life will change because I have a baby. And I really don't want it to."  
  
"If you don't want it to then it won't. We'll all help look after the baby and keep it safe. Wes is out looking for spells to cast to keep it safe right now. Fred was looking through a baby book yesterday and Gunn practically brought up his sister. Me, well, I ate mine but..." She smiled as a tear ran down her cheek. "I'll learn and I'll be there for you. Does that make you feel better?"  
  
She nodded and brushed the tear away. "I don't know what's wrong with me! I keep crying all the time!"  
  
The waiter, who had been hovering for the last five minutes, came across and handed them menus.  
  
Angel let go of her hand. "Don't worry, okay?"  
  
She nodded. "Thank you. Again."  
  
He grinned. "My pleasure."  
  
They ended up having a really good time. Cordelia chose a salad and Angel picked at a pasta dish, making an effort to eat part of it.  
  
They stayed on after the meal drinking coffee and talking and then he took her home.  
  
He walked her to her door. "I was thinking of something earlier." He told her and she slipped her key in the lock.  
  
"You were?"  
  
He nodded. "I was thinking that maybe you would be more comfortable living at the hotel until the baby is born. So if something happens then there'll be people close by."  
  
"Something happens? Something happens like what? What could happen? Do you know something that I don't?" She asked, panicked.  
  
"No!" He reassured her, a smile on his face. "I meant that if you go into labour early then there'll be people nearby to get you to a hospital. Or if you slip and fall or something then I'll be there."  
  
"That sounds like a good idea." She mused. "I could start packing my things and move in for the end of the week. Is there a room I could use?"  
  
"I could clear out the room next to mine." He offered. "There's not much work to do." He lied. In truth, the room was a disaster site.  
  
"That would be good. All of the baby stuff is being delivered there next week anyway."  
  
"I'll get started then." He promised her and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.  
  
"I had a really good time tonight." She told him truthfully. "It made a change to go out rather than sit in and do nothing."  
  
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." He told her, his hand lingering on her arm. "Maybe we could do it again sometime?"  
  
"I'd like that." She replied.  
  
Cordelia moved her things into the hotel as soon as Angel had cleared a room for her. The baby furniture had been delivered the day before and Gunn and Wes had set it up for her in the tiny adjoining room.  
  
She spent the better part of the day unpacking her bags and adding the finishing touches to the bare room, like putting up photographs and arranging flowers.  
  
There was a knock on the door at two thirty. "It's me." Angel told her through the door.  
  
"Come in!"  
  
"Are the drapes shut?" He asked.  
  
She leapt up to close them. "Yes!"  
  
He opened the door slowly. "They are now."  
  
She grinned sheepishly. "What do you think?"  
  
"I think it looks pretty good. Here." He handed her a bag. "I ordered you some food. And a cappuccino."  
  
"Thanks, I was just about to come down." She opened the bag and took out the takeout coffee. "I just wanted to finish now while I was into it. If I took a break then I wouldn't finish."  
  
He sat down on the edge of the bed. "I like the flowers."  
  
"They're artificial." She admitted, taking a bite of her sandwich and sitting down on the floor cross legged in front of him.  
  
"They look real. You appreciate them a lot more when you know you can't go out and see them in the sunlight. Real flowers die when you bring them into this much darkness. It's nice to see flowers again. We should get some for downstairs." He suggested.  
  
"I like them. You can't kill them." She smiled.  
  
He rubbed his hands together, as if he was cold. "Your mom called."  
  
"She did?" She asked brightly, taking a sip of her coffee.  
  
"Yeah, she said she was having a party next weekend and she'd love you to go down and meet 'everyone'. She wants you to call back."  
  
"I'll call her later on. I have a few things I need to do first."  
  
"Like what? The room looks perfect."  
  
"I see you haven't remembered!" She pointed her finger at him.  
  
"Remembered what?" He asked, looking worried.  
  
"It's Wes's birthday tomorrow. I have to go out and get him a card and a gift." She told him, finishing off the last of her food.  
  
"Since when is it his birthday?" He asked. "He didn't mention anything."  
  
"Well, I'm guessing that since he's thirty three tomorrow he doesn't really want it broadcasting."  
  
"How do you know how old Wes is?" He asked, a smile tugging at his lips.  
  
"He told me once, back in Sunnydale, and I kept count." She replied, almost looking proud. "I left it to the last minute, as usual, so I'm going to go to go into town and see if I can get something nice for him. Maybe a pen, or a bookmark."  
  
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Here, get him something from both of us." He handed her a fifty.  
  
"Angel, I don't want your money." She argued. "I've got enough money to buy him something. Despite what I say, you do pay me a good wage."  
  
"Yeah, but I forgot, so pool our money and get him something from both of us." He suggested, making sure she took the money.  
  
She smiled. "You really are a good person Angel."  
  
"I try." He smiled back.  
  
"Give me a hand up or I'll never get up off this floor." She held out her hand and gripped his so he could pull her up. "God, I feel huge!"  
  
"You don't look it." He assured her.  
  
"I will do soon." She assured him. "I've seen the pictures of pregnant women at my doctors. Scary!"  
  
After spending two hours shopping she eventually decided on a silver pen and a dark wooden photo frame which she was planning on putting a picture of the AI gang in before she wrapped it.  
  
When she gave them to him the next night he was speechless.  
  
Both Gunn and Fred hadn't known it was his birthday and decided to take him out for a drink.  
  
Wesley had kissed her cheek and looked completely touched at her, and Angel's, gifts before leaving.  
  
Angel sat down at his desk as Cordelia went to hers to phone her mom.  
  
They made arrangements for a car to be sent and Angel made her go to bed early after catching her yawning continuously for twenty minutes.  
  
By the time he went to bed Cordelia was fast asleep, a comforter wrapped tightly around her shoulders and a hand resting on her abdomen.  
  
The week went by quickly. Wes, Angel and Gunn wouldn't let Cordelia go out on cases but she made up for it by doing most of the paperwork.  
  
By the time Friday came Cordelia didn't want to go to San Francisco and Angel had to spend three hours Friday night talking her into it.  
  
He even insisted on packing her bags for her while she sat in bed eating Ben and Jerry's.  
  
He drew the line only at packing her underwear which he insisted she could do in the morning.  
  
"Sit with me?" She asked as he was about to leave.  
  
He smiled and came to sit next to her on the double bed. "What's wrong? You've been quiet all night."  
  
She shrugged. "Nothing, I guess. I'm going to be seeing my dad again after a long time. I know a lot more about him now than I did back then. It might be strange. Plus, I don't know if my mom told him I'm pregnant. I wouldn't put it past her to let him find out when I step out of the car."  
  
"Surely she wouldn't."  
  
"Oh, she would." She replied and put her empty dish on the nightstand. "I guess I'm just nervous."  
  
"I think you deserve to be."  
  
She dropped her head onto his shoulder and curled into his side. "I get so tired these days."  
  
"That's understandable." He replied, dropping a gentle kiss on her head. "There are two of you."  
  
She yawned. "Maybe four or five by the way I'm feeling."  
  
He laughed and closed his eyes.  
  
When he opened them again it was morning and Cordelia was curled up under his arm still fast asleep.  
  
He managed to manoeuvre himself out of bed without waking her but she woke when he opened the bathroom door.  
  
"I meant to get that squeak fixed." He told her apologetically.  
  
"It's okay; I should probably finish packing and get something to eat before the car gets here anyway."  
  
She tried to put on a pair of her favourite jeans but she found they wouldn't fit so she was forced to put on a comfy pair of sweats and a stretchy vest. It wasn't exactly her mother's style but she was comfortable. She was about to go downstairs when she felt the need to be sick.  
  
She reached the toilet just in time and she spent the next twenty minutes slumped over the bowl.  
  
Angel found her there and sat on the edge of the bath, smoothing her hair back. "I thought the morning sickness had stopped."  
  
"It comes on and off." She replied, retching again. "There's nothing left to bring up." She told him.  
  
When she felt better again she stood up and let him help her downstairs. She looked pale and felt weak.  
  
Wes shot her a worried glance but Angel waved his hand, meaning that he should leave it.  
  
The car came for her around lunchtime and a stuffy looking British man took her bag.  
  
"He reminds me a little of you." She teased Wesley s she hugged him goodbye.  
  
Gunn and Fred both hugged her briefly and told her to have a good time and then she turned to say goodbye to Angel.  
  
"I'll call you, I promise." She told him.  
  
He hugged her and then let her go quickly. "Have a really good time, okay? I'll see you Monday morning."  
  
She nodded and followed the chauffer to the car. "See you all in two days."  
  
They waved and watched her leave.  
  
"She'll have a good time." Angel told them all, partly to reassure himself. "She won't decide to go live there. No, definitely not."  
  
Wes rolled his eyes and went back into his office. 


	6. Chapter Six

Cordelia spent the drive eating chocolates and drinking cold Evian.  
  
The chauffer didn't talk to her and she offered no conversation with him.  
  
When they pulled up outside a pink stucco style house she thought they were making a stop first. "What are we doing?"  
  
"We're here Miss Chase." He replied as though she should already know.  
  
"Really? This is my parent's place? She missed out the fact that it was huge! She told me it was smaller than our old one. And nice. This is amazing!"  
  
He nodded and got her bag out of the trunk. "Follow me please."  
  
She followed him up to the front doors. He opened one of them with e key and let her inside.  
  
"Wait here." He instructed, putting her bag down at her feet.  
  
She nodded, in awe of the hall she was in. It had a large open staircase that wound upwards towards the high ceiling and large paintings on the wall. It was decorated in neutral tones.  
  
"Cordelia darling!" Her mother exclaimed, rushing through from a door on the left. "You're here at last!"  
  
"Hi Mom!" She smiled and hugged the older woman.  
  
"How are you feeling? Not too tired? You look a bit peaky."  
  
"I'm fine." She assured her, blocking out the memory of her morning sickness.  
  
"Well, come on through to the conservatory. I've got some excellent Iced Tea that you must try."  
  
Cordelia followed Mrs Chase through a large formal dining room and an airy parlour before going through French doors and into the conservatory. "This place is huge! I thought you said it was smaller than our old house?"  
  
"Oh did I? I must have thought it was because I couldn't see it." She told her and sat down in a soft chair. "It does have fewer bedrooms but we did get a Jacuzzi with it as well as a swimming pool."  
  
"Wow." Cordelia commented. "How many less bedrooms?"  
  
"Only one." Mrs Chase said and then smiled. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"I'm feeling okay, kind of huge." She replied with a laugh. "I've moved into the Hyperion. Angel and I discussed it and we decided that it would be better for when the time comes. That way someone will always be around."  
  
"I agree, that sounds like a wise decision." Mrs Chase nodded. "Do you have a nursery and a nanny all set up?"  
  
"I have a nursery but I'm not getting a nanny. I'm looking after the baby myself."  
  
"Oh, I envy you. I always wished I'd looked after you myself. First we had Elsa, the nanny and then the maids took turns in watching you. It would have been wonderful to bring you up." She told her sadly.  
  
"I'm with you now. And besides, I work at the hotel as well as live there so I'll be near him or her all the time. I'd be paying a nanny for nothing."  
  
"You are going to the Lamaze classes though?"  
  
"Uh, no. I tried them and they're not for me." She explained simply.  
  
"Why not? They're very useful." Mrs Chase told her.  
  
"My doctor is dealing with all the important stuff so I don't need to go." She told her and then decided to change the subject. "Where's Daddy?"  
  
"Oh, he's in meetings all day. But he'll be back for the party, don't worry."  
  
"The party?"  
  
"Oh, I thought I mentioned it to that man on the phone. We're hosting a party tonight. It's only going to be small, just a few friends."  
  
"How many friends?" Cordelia asked dryly.  
  
"Oh, only about a hundred or so." She told her casually. "Which reminds me, I've got you something to wear. It's upstairs on your bed. I hope you like it."  
  
"I'm sure I will." Cordelia assured her. "But you shouldn't have."  
  
"Did you bring anything dressy to wear?"  
  
"Uh, no." Cordelia admitted and then smiled. "You did remember that I've gone up a couple of sizes around the waist area didn't you?"  
  
Mrs Chase rolled her eyes. "Of course I did. I spoke to the salesgirl and she found the perfect dress for you in your condition."  
  
"Where at?"  
  
"Valentino." She replied. "The salesgirl was..."  
  
"Valentino? When am I going to wear a Valentino dress again?"  
  
Mrs Chase laughed. "You'll find somewhere, now how about a dip in the pool?" She suggested.  
  
"I didn't bring a bathing suit."  
  
"I have some shorts you can wear and that vest ought to be burnt anyway so wear that."  
  
Cordelia laughed. "I hope you know that this vest is one of the only things that fits me!"  
  
Mrs Chase laughed and stood up before offering her hand to Cordelia. "Come on, a swim will do you good."  
  
They swam for a while and then relaxed by the pool on loungers in the sun.  
  
A maid brought them out delicate chicken mayo sandwiches and chopped vegetables on platters at four o clock.  
  
At five thirty they went inside to start getting ready for the party.  
  
Cordelia was shown to her room by the maid and she discovered the dress on the bed and a pair of gold sandals on the floor.  
  
She opened the box and a satin dress slithered out. The material was silky soft and shimmered like gold. It was beautiful and she could see from the cut that it would fit perfectly. It reminded her of the dress she had seen Kate Hudson wearing in People.  
  
She put the dress down and went to shower.  
  
By the time she was dressed and had applied her makeup it was time for her to go downstairs for the party.  
  
She walked through to the kitchen to find her mom overseeing the catering. She was already dressed in an aquamarine cocktail dress with matching necklace and earrings.  
  
"Darling, you look beautiful!" She exclaimed. "Your father will be over the moon."  
  
"You did tell him I was pregnant didn't you?" She thought to ask.  
  
"Of course I did."  
  
"Was he okay with it?"  
  
"He was thrilled!" She promised. "He's upstairs right now getting changed. He came in about ten minutes ago. You only just missed him."  
  
"What time is everyone arriving?" She asked, nibbling on a cheese stick from one on the platters of food.  
  
"About a half hour." Her mother replied and then saw something outside. "I won't be a second honey; one of the caterers is putting the gateaux next to the garlic bread!"  
  
"And that sounds like a crisis." She commented to herself. "Can I do anything to help?" She asked one of the caterers.  
  
She looked shocked by the question. "No, we're fine."  
  
She walked out onto the patio where fairy light had been hung. It was warm and balmy and she wished that Angel could be here with her. She decided to go and ring him before the party started.  
  
She went upstairs and to her room. She quickly dialled the familiar number and waited while someone picked up. It was Angel.  
  
"Hey it's me." She told him.  
  
"Hey, what're you up to?" He asked, glad to hear her voice. It had been strange not having her at the hotel that afternoon.  
  
"Well, I'm sat here in my bedroom wearing an incredibly expensive satin ball gown waiting for a huge party to start." She told him, sounding bored.  
  
"What are you really doing?" He asked, not believing her.  
  
"That is what I'm doing, honestly."  
  
"Really?" He laughed.  
  
"Really. What are you guys doing?"  
  
"Well, Wes is still in his office researching and translating. Gunn and Fred went to clear out a vampire nest and I'm waiting for the sun to go down so I can get out of here."  
  
"I think something is going on with them too." Cordelia told him wisely.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Fred and Wes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's pretty obvious Angel, open you eyes." She instructed.  
  
He laughed. "Okay. Have you seen your dad yet?"  
  
"No, not yet. He's here though. He came home while I was getting ready."  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked. "You sound quiet."  
  
"I don't like being away from home. Everything is weird here. I'm scared that when I come back home I'll be the same spoilt bitch I was back in Sunnydale. It would be easy to do." She admitted.  
  
"You won't do that." He told her confidently.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Because I know you. You're not that girl anymore. I think you grew a heart."  
  
She laughed. "I guess maybe I did."  
  
There was a knock on the door.  
  
"Oh, I gotta go, I'll call you tomorrow." She promised and hung up. "Come in."  
  
Her father walked in, dressed in a striking black tuxedo. "Hello Cordelia."  
  
"Hi Daddy." She replied shyly and stood up.  
  
"How are you?" He asked awkwardly. "I heard about the baby."  
  
"Are you okay with it?"  
  
He nodded. "Why wouldn't I be? You are well though?"  
  
She nodded and smiled. "I'm well."  
  
Her father looked at her for a moment. "Don't I get a hug?"  
  
When Cordelia came down the stairs on her father's arm her mother's eyes teared up.  
  
"I've waited so long to see that again!" She exclaimed and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "Honey, that dress looks absolutely divine on you."  
  
"It might look better if I wasn't seven and a half months pregnant but yeah, I could go with divine." She joked.  
  
"Come and meet our friends." Mrs Chase told her and indicated with her finger that they would follow her.  
  
Already the formal parlour was filled with people. Most of them were her parents' age but there were a few guys her age and a couple who looked close to seventy.  
  
Mrs Chase introduced her to a few of her father's business colleagues and some distant relatives and then seated her next to a twenty five year old lawyer.  
  
She made polite conversation with him for fifteen minutes and then excused herself to get a drink.  
  
She found her father in the kitchen talking to an older man. He excused himself quickly. "Are you enjoying the party?"  
  
"It's pretty boring." She told him honestly and he laughed.  
  
"Most of our parties are." He replied with equal honesty. "I know what your mom told you about my old business dealings."  
  
"You don't have to explain about that." She told him quickly.  
  
"I want to." He insisted. "I want you to know that I was in no way connected to that man's death. It was unfortunate that my name was mentioned. I didn't want to leave you but I felt that it would be easier for you to stay in Sunnydale and continue your education. We made arrangements for your grandmother to send you to college. We left enough money with her to get you through Harvard, if you had wanted to. But you never contacted her. We thought you would. I tried to find you when we came back to America. I'll admit not that hard, but I didn't expect you to ever leave Sunnydale. Then again, I never thought your mother and I would. I want to apologise for leaving like that. But the IRS was on my back and the Sunnydale police force wanted to talk to me in association with that guy's murder and it was easier to just disappear. We didn't go bankrupt. That was the reason we could afford to buy this house. I had a number of private accounts that the IRS didn't know about. They were all in different names. There's one for you. I started it the day you were born. On every birthday I added ten thousand dollars. All of it is still there." He let his words sink in. "It's yours now to do what you want with."  
  
Her mouth gaped open in shock. "Ten thousand dollars! But I'm twenty one! That's..."  
  
"Two hundred and ten thousand dollars." He finished. "I kept it updated since we lost touch just in case we'd find each other again."  
  
He put his hand into his inside pocket and pulled out a bank certificate. "Here you go, it's yours."  
  
She accepted it with trembling fingers. "But that's two hundred and ten thousand dollars! What am I going to do with that amount of money?"  
  
"Do whatever you want with it." He told her and smiled. "Buy yourself a boat or a car or a horse. It's yours to spend how you like. I'll keep updating it on your birthday every year."  
  
"You don't have to do that."  
  
"But I want to, because I love you." He told her and kissed her forehead. "Now wipe the shocked look off your face and go and mingle. Before the end of the night I want all of my friends to know what a wonderful daughter I have!"  
  
The party was wonderful. The food itself was worth going. Despite her best intentions Cordelia was tired by eleven o clock and went to bed early.  
  
When she awoke in the morning her mother was sat in the conservatory with cucumber slices on her eyes.  
  
"Cordelia? Is that you?" She asked and peeled a slice off so she could see. "Oh good, I've made appointments for us at the Edwardian Spa."  
  
"For what?" She asked suspiciously.  
  
"For massages, pedicures and manicures of course." Her mother replied, slipping the cucumber slice back on her eye.  
  
"But I only had a manicure and pedicure the other day." She protested.  
  
"Oh, you can't have one often enough. Besides, I have a yearly membership. While we're there we're going to have out hair cut and have a facial." She told her. "Now go and put on something nice and we can go."  
  
"You're not even dressed yet." She pointed out.  
  
"I'm not?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, I'd better get dressed then." She supposed and sat up, letting the cucumber drop of her eyes. "I can't be seen in public like this! It would lower my reputation!"  
  
Cordelia just rolled her eyes and went upstairs ahead of Mrs Chase to get dressed.  
  
She had to admit that she did look good as she came out of the spa. Her hair had been trimmed and styled so that it fit just under her chin with an asymmetrical fringe. Her nails were all shiny pink again and her skin was really soft after the facial.  
  
Mrs Chase insisted that they do a 'spot' of shopping before they went home and took her to a tiny boutique near to her house.  
  
The boutique was not as tiny as she first thought. They were seated near to the cash desk and plates of sandwiches, salads and potato chips were brought out as soon as they were comfortable.  
  
As they ate salesgirls came out and modelled a selection of their new clothes. Mrs Chase had a quiet word to one of them and they started to bring out maternity clothes.  
  
Some of them were clearly not her style but there were some fashionable things. Mrs Chase insisted on buying her a couple of pairs of boot cut jeans and some floaty tops that would minimise her size. She also selected a pair of comfy looking pyjamas that would be perfect for in the hospital. Cordelia insisted on buying the matching dressing gown herself.  
  
When they left the manageress promised to deliver their purchases that day so they'd be able to go home with Cordelia the next morning. Cordelia called Angel as soon as she got back and told him what time to expect her. She didn't mention the money; she'd rather tell him that to his face.  
  
That night her father took her and her mom to a posh restaurant where they celebrated Cordelia's pregnancy and finding each other again.  
  
Her mother managed to introduce her to 'suitable bachelors' but she just smiled and managed to dismiss them without hurting their feelings too much.  
  
They left early and Cordelia went to bed early, laving her mom and dad downstairs drinking martinis.  
  
The next morning she was up early. She was ready to go home.  
  
She hugged her mom and dad tightly outside before climbing into the car.  
  
"I'll call you soon." Her mom promised and dabbed at her eyes. "We've loved having you here. We missed you so much."  
  
"You'll come back soon." Mr Chase told her confidently. "Have a safe trip."  
  
"Look after yourself!" Mrs Chase called out as the car started to move.  
  
Cordelia settled back into the leather upholstery and slid her sunglasses onto her nose to shut out the morning sunshine.  
  
She pulled a bottle of water out of the cooler and took a sip before taking the bank certificate out of her bag and reading it again. Two hundred and ten thousand dollars! What could she do with that much money? She could get the baby and ten others through college and still be able to live well off. Even if she left it in the bank and didn't touch it then it would gain interest.  
  
She sighed. She'd talk to Angel about it when she got home.  
  
The chauffer took her bags inside and bid her farewell, holding the hotel door open for her until she was inside.  
  
She walked down the stairs and pulled her sunglasses off her nose and looked around.  
  
There was no-one there.  
  
How could no-one be there on a Monday morning?"  
  
She went to the main stairs and went upstairs. She peeked in Angel's room and saw him lying in bed. "Hey."  
  
He lifted his head up and then let out a moan of pain. "Hey."  
  
She rushed to his side. "What happened?"  
  
"We went out on a case last night and got into a fight with an Ungari demon." He told her.  
  
"Aren't they really big and strong?" She asked, her fingers moving swiftly over his chest looking for wounds.  
  
He nodded. "I got my own sword shoved through my stomach."  
  
She pushed the covers down and took a look at the wound. "It looks nasty. Let me get the first aid kit."  
  
She hurried into the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink. "How come you aren't healed yet?"  
  
"Well, I said last night but it was probably about six this morning. The sun was just rising as we came in." He tried to shuffle up the bed.  
  
"Keep still. I'll manage." She told him with a quick smile as she started to clean the wound. "How do you always manage to get hurt?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know. Probably because I'm the only one that ever does any work around here."  
  
She put a shocked look on her face. "Come on Angel, you know I'm good with a broadsword."  
  
He laughed but it turned into a groan of pain. "I shouldn't do that."  
  
"No, you shouldn't." She agreed. "Did anyone else get hurt?"  
  
"Gunn took a few punches and Wes got thrown across the room. Fred's okay."  
  
"Did Wes get knocked out again?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
She finished her cleaning and dressing of his wound and looked at him. "Did the sword go all the way through?"  
  
He nodded. "Twice, kind of like he was trying to saw through me."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "You do exaggerate sometimes. I'll let you lay there instead of trying, in my weakened state, to lift you and clean the other side. I'll get you some blood though."  
  
He nodded. "Thanks."  
  
She went downstairs and warmed up some blood for him.  
  
He drank it eagerly and she knew it would benefit him more than anything she could do.  
  
"Do you want anymore?" She asked when he'd finished.  
  
He shook his head. "No, I'll be fine."  
  
"You always are." She replied, stroking his hair. "Besides, I think I know something that might make you feel better."  
  
"And what's that?" He asked, trying not to be distracted by her fingers against his head.  
  
"I've just been given two hundred and ten thousand dollars." She told him.  
  
He looked stunned. "You've what?"  
  
"I've been given two hundred and..." She started to recite again.  
  
"I heard Cordelia. From your parents?"  
  
She nodded. "Yep, apparently my dad set up an account for me when I was born and he put ten thousand dollars in it every year on my birthday. I'm now officially rich. Again."  
  
"What are you going to do with it?"  
  
She shrugged and put her hand in his casually. "Make sure that there's enough money for the baby to have a happy life and then I haven't got a clue. Maybe I could buy Tiffany's."  
  
He grinned and squeezed her hand. "As good as that would be, maybe you should think about investing it."  
  
"What do you, Mr Eighteenth Century, know about investing?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.  
  
He poked her in the side. "You might think I'm mentally stunted but I'm really not."  
  
She laughed and caught his finger in her other hand. "Yeah right."  
  
He chose to ignore her. "Did you have a good time this weekend?"  
  
She nodded. "It was nice."  
  
"You don't want to go live there then?" He looked worried.  
  
"No, this is my home." She assured him with a smile. "I promise, I'm not going anywhere. Besides, if I stayed there longer than a weekend then I'd turn into the spoilt little girl I was back in Sunnydale. Somehow I don't think I want to become that girl again."  
  
"I like both of them." He told her, still aware that both of her hands were still in his.  
  
"Really?" She asked, her nose scrunched up. "Even the cold hearted bitch?"  
  
"Even the cold hearted bitch." He assured her. "Maybe I even like her the best." He teased.  
  
She squeezed his fingers. "That's like me telling you I like Angelus better than you."  
  
He looked shocked for a second and then smiled. "Okay, you win. You always do. Is the baby okay?"  
  
She nodded and released one of his hands to pat her swollen stomach. "The bubs is fine. Getting bigger by the day. It almost makes me scared about what's to come."  
  
"Maybe you should have stuck with the Lamaze classes." He told her with a grin.  
  
She pulled a face and lifted his arm up in the air so she could curl up with his arm around her shoulders and her head on his chest. "Somehow I think no."  
  
He laughed softly. "Are you tired?"  
  
"A little." She replied and then yawned as if to prove a point. "I'm tired all the time these days."  
  
"That's understandable." He replied and kissed the top of her head. "Have a couple of hours sleep and then you'll feel better."  
  
She did feel better after a nap. She and Angel got up and went downstairs, by that time everyone else had dragged themselves in. Gunn had a couple of ugly bruises on his head and Wes had no visible wounds. He insisted that all of his injuries were internal.  
  
Cordelia spent the afternoon sat on the floor of the office sorting through old files and throwing away the ones that were finished.  
  
Sitting there she suddenly remembered about the money. She grabbed Angel's arm when he came past her. "Hey, we never did talk about the money."  
  
"No, we didn't." He agreed, dropping to the floor so he was sat next to her. "Have you thought of what you want to do?"  
  
"Well, I did think about one thing." She told him mysteriously.  
  
"You did? What?"  
  
"How much would it cost to buy this place?" She asked, holding her breath for his answer.  
  
"No." He replied instantly. "Not a chance."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're not buying the hotel!" He told her.  
  
"And what if I want to?" She told him petulantly.  
  
"I won't let you." He insisted.  
  
"How much would it cost?"  
  
"I'm not letting you buy it!" He insisted.  
  
"How much Angel?" She ordered.  
  
"A hundred and seventy." He replied, defeated.  
  
"Why is it that cheap?"  
  
"Because it's a run down hotel and only us want it. It was on the market for thirty years before we moved in. I've already paid twenty on the mortgage so that leaves one fifty left."  
  
"Let me buy the hotel." She whispered.  
  
"No." He replied.  
  
"I'll do it anyway." She told him defiantly, sticking her tongue out.  
  
"Well, let's wait until you have the baby before we argue this out, I don't want you going into labour half way through!"  
  
"Are you anticipating us arguing about it?" She smirked.  
  
"You two? Argue?" Wes said sarcastically as he walked past. He looked down at them. "Never!" 


	7. Chapter Seven

They spent the rest of the day doing easy work. Nobody wanted to get into a fight with a demon or a vampire and end up injured so soon after last time.  
  
Gunn went out for takeaway and brought back a couple of movies and they sat watching them as they ate. Everyone went home around ten o clock and Cordelia collapsed into bed shortly after.  
  
She awoke in the middle of the night to a strange sensation. It went away but came back again quickly. She grinned when she realised what it was.  
  
She shoved back the sheets and ran out of the room and down the hall to Angel's room.  
  
She burst in without knocking and sat on the edge of his bed. "Angel? Wake up!"  
  
"What?" He asked groggily and then sat up straight. "Is the baby coming?"  
  
She laughed. "No, it's kicking. Here, feel."  
  
She grabbed his hand and placed it on her bump.  
  
The baby kicked a few times and they were both smiling.  
  
"It's amazing." He told her. "It's really there."  
  
"Yeah, because I got fat because there was no baby." She teased and placed her hand on his. "It is really there, isn't it?"  
  
He laughed at her. "Do you want to get in?"  
  
She looked unsure for a moment.  
  
"Of course you don't." He replied instead of letting her answer.  
  
"No, that wasn't it. I was just wondering if you were wearing anything under there." She told him sheepishly.  
  
"I've got something on." He replied and then smiled. "It gets cold in here at night."  
  
She slid in bed with him and turned so she was lying on her side, facing away from him.  
  
He wrapped his arm around her so his hand was resting on her abdomen. He heard her heartbeat quicken.  
  
"Are you warm enough?" He whispered, pulling the blankets around them.  
  
She nodded. "Yeah."  
  
"Get some sleep." He told her and kissed the top of her head gently.  
  
"Good night Angel." She whispered and closed her eyes.  
  
When he woke up she was gone but she'd left a note on his nightstand. 'Gone for my sonogram, see you later, love Cordelia.'  
  
What the hell was a sonogram? He wondered as he got dressed.  
  
Wes's answer calmed him down. He was expecting a lot worse that a picture of the baby.  
  
Sonogram implied surgery or something being cut off or some other nasty thing.  
  
He waited a couple of hours for her to come back, impatiently pacing around the office until he annoyed everyone, before calling her cell. He was seriously thinking that Wes had lied to him.  
  
"Where are you?" He asked as soon as she picked up.  
  
"I'm right around the corner." She promised. "I'll be back in five minutes."  
  
"Happy now?" Wes asked in amusement. Seeing the vampire all worked up was funny.  
  
He nodded. "She sounded okay."  
  
"Angel, sonogram really is a picture of the baby. In England it's called an ultrasound. She'll come back with a picture of the baby. The doctor checks to see if anything is wrong and if the baby is growing as it should do."  
  
"Oh." He seemed satisfied but then realised what Wes had said. "There could be something wrong with the baby?"  
  
Wes rolled his eyes and decided to ignore him.  
  
Cordelia bounded in three minutes later with a picture in her hand.  
  
Everyone instantly crowded around to have a look.  
  
"Oh, it's so cute!" Fred exclaimed. "You can see its fingers and toes!"  
  
"It's not an 'it' anymore Fred." Cordelia smiled; an excited look in her eyes.  
  
"Then what is it?" She asked, wrinkling her nose.  
  
Wes caught on. "Oh, you found out the sex!"  
  
She nodded and grinned. She was almost bouncing up and down on the spot.  
  
"Well?" Gunn urged.  
  
She felt Angel's hand on the bottom of her back. "It's a girl!"  
  
Everyone hugged her and congratulated her.  
  
"Oh my god, I can't believe it." She exclaimed. "I know there was a fifty/fifty chance of it being a girl but I guess I never expected it to be a girl!"  
  
"Then you expected it to be a boy?" Gunn asked.  
  
"No." She shook her head. "I guess I always thought of it as an 'it'."  
  
Fred took the photograph to the notice board where she pinned it up. "There." She declared happily.  
  
Cordelia turned to Angel and Wes and Gunn drifted away. "So?"  
  
"So." He replied awkwardly and realised that his hand was still on her back.  
  
She flung her arms around his neck. "I'm going to have a daughter!"  
  
Angel's face creased into a smile. "Yeah you are."  
  
She held onto him tightly, her feet only just touching the floor. "I'm going to have a daughter."  
  
They had an uneventful week. Work quietened down and they found that they stayed in the hotel. There were no big beasties to fight and they all admitted that they liked spending time together. It was like they worked in a normal office doing normal things. By the weekend work picked up again and Cordelia found herself in the hotel alone again when the doors came flying open. A young black man entered at a run.  
  
"Can I help you?" She asked, coming around the counter.  
  
He headed towards her and grabbed her, pulling a knife to her throat.  
  
She flinched in terror, her voice disappearing.  
  
"Just be still and you won't get hurt." He told her, his voice a hoarse whisper. "You pregnant?"  
  
"No, I just got really fat after Christmas." She replied sarcastically.  
  
Suddenly she realised that antagonising a man who had a knife to her throat might not be such a good idea. "Yes."  
  
He let free a series of curses. "Listen to me; you won't get hurt if you do what I say. You hear? I'm not about to go killing some pregnant white chick. Cops are going to come bursting in here any second and they're going to leave because they're going to see I'm about to kill you. Got it?"  
  
She nodded slightly, aware of the knife against her throat.  
  
As predicted two uniformed policemen came through the front doors.  
  
"Get back!" The man holding her shouted. "I'll kill her! Don't think I won't!"  
  
The policemen didn't move.  
  
"I said move!" He shouted again, pressing the knife into her neck, making her whimper.  
  
The policemen backed out.  
  
"How can I get out of here?" He asked her, releasing her from his hold but keeping a hand clamped around her arm.  
  
"The back doors!" She stammered, pointing. "Unless more police have got there."  
  
She cursed herself for saying that. "But I doubt they will have."  
  
"I'm not taking that risk." He told her. "You got a car?"  
  
She shook her head. "I can't fit behind the wheel."  
  
He suddenly grinned. "My sister got like that last year, I had to ferry her around places 'til she had my nephew."  
  
"Why are the police after you?" She dared to ask.  
  
"Just a misunderstanding." He told her.  
  
An hour before him and his friends had stolen a car from outside Saks and took it for a joyride. They crashed and now he was running on foot. He was the same age as Cordelia.  
  
"I'm sure." She humoured him.  
  
Without warning two more black men burst into the hotel. "Hey man, we saw the cops outside, took a dash for it!"  
  
They came across to slap his shoulder. "Hey, found yourself some white ass huh?"  
  
"Hey!" The one holding her arm complained. "She's pregnant man, leave her alone. She'll make a good hostage. But we don't hurt her!"  
  
One of the other two men shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so. We need to hurt her a bit to let the cops know she's in danger. That's the only way they're going to let us go. So she doesn't get killed."  
  
She flinched as he grabbed her and took the knife off his friend. He pushed it roughly against her chest, above where her heart was. He dragged her to the doors and pushed one of them open with his foot. "Hey!"  
  
Through the tears that had started to collect in her eyes she could see a mass of uniformed men and women who had gathered outside, all with guns pointed at them, or rather the man that was holding her.  
  
"Get me and my friends a car here in half an hour or I kill her!" He shouted out and then dragged her in the hotel again. Once down the stairs he shoved her away from him.  
  
"My friends will be back soon, they left a couple of hours ago." She told them.  
  
"So, they won't be able to get in." The one with the short temper told her. "We could do anything to you before they get in here."  
  
He leered at her until the one who'd first come in smacked his arm. "Give her a break man, she's pregnant."  
  
"So? That's good; we can't get her that way then, can we?"  
  
"Might I suggest you don't do that?" Cordelia butted in. "My friends and half of LAPD are outside and I can scream very loud. They can be in here and you can be dead before you even touch me!"  
  
"She's right man." The other one told him.  
  
"Sit down!" The angry one told her. "And shut your mouth!"  
  
She sat on the couch. "What are you planning on doing now? You can't get out of here without being caught and the police won't get you a getaway car."  
  
"I thought I told you to shut your mouth? If you must know Mom, the police will get me the car. Because I told them to. If not, then we use you as a human shield." He threatened, stepping closer to her. He punched her around the side of her face. "Now shut up!"  
  
"Hey Delroy! Give her a break man!" The nicer one shouted and came to kneel next to her. "I'm sorry for him, he has a temper."  
  
"I can see that." She complained angrily. "What's your name?"  
  
"Eric." He replied quietly. "Are you okay?"  
  
She nodded. "I'd be better if my life hadn't turned into Law and Order."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Who's he?" She asked, pointing to the other man.  
  
"That's Leroy."  
  
"Delroy and Leroy?" She raised an eyebrow. "Now I know you're kidding me."  
  
He ginned and suddenly he reminded her of Gunn.  
  
"Hey!" Leroy shouted to Delroy. "Our boy here's getting a little too close to our hostage!"  
  
Delroy grabbed Eric by the shoulder and pulled him away from Cordelia. "Leave her!"  
  
He did as he was told.  
  
"Where the hell is our car?" Delroy muttered under his breath.  
  
"It's only been five minutes, chill." Leroy told him.  
  
"Don't tell me to chill!" He shouted angrily. "We've got half of this town's police force ready to arrest us; I do not want to chill. I'm upping our stakes! Get over here!" He ordered Cordelia.  
  
She did as she was told slowly. "What are you going to do?"  
  
He grabbed her and pulled a gun out of his pocket. From the looks of Leroy and Eric she could see they didn't know he had it.  
  
"I don't think you want to shoot me!" She told him, her hands shaking.  
  
"I'm not going to shoot you, yet. Now go towards the doors. You think about running and I kill you."  
  
She walked towards the front doors, aware of Delroy's eyes on her. She put her hand on the door handle and she felt his breath on her neck.  
  
"Go on." He urged.  
  
As she opened the door she could feel his arm go around her waist, the one with the gun.  
  
He pushed her out into the courtyard, making sure she was not going to run by keeping his arm tight around her.  
  
"Where's my car?" He shouted at the sea of faces.  
  
Cordelia scanned the crowd, seeing Wes and Gunn with Fred but she kept looking until she saw who she was looking for. He was stood separate from everyone else, looking for a way to get in the hotel. Her eyes locked with his and she began to cry.  
  
"Shut up!" Delroy hissed into her ear and shoved the gun roughly into her stomach, instead of hovering in front of her chest as he had been doing.  
  
Angel's eyes showed fear and helplessness.  
  
"Where's my car?" He repeated.  
  
The Police Chief stepped forwards his hands held up in the air. "It will be here in ten minutes. Just don't shoot the girl."  
  
This seemed to anger Delroy more and he tightened his grip and swapped the gun to his other hand.  
  
He raised it in the air and sent a shot ringing out into the night.  
  
Cordelia jumped at the sound and slumped on Delroy's arm.  
  
Angel moved forward but didn't dare come any closer.  
  
"I want that car in five minutes!" Delroy demanded and then dragged Cordelia back into the hotel. "What the hell was that?"  
  
He shoved her onto the floor roughly. "Waste of space."  
  
Eric kept looking at her but said nothing.  
  
They waited in silence, Delroy pacing and occasionally glancing at his watch. Leroy moved to the window so he could see what was happening.  
  
"It's here." He announced after seven minutes. "Let's go."  
  
Delroy grabbed her again and picked her up off the floor. He pressed the gun into her stomach once again and headed towards the door.  
  
"Please don't hurt my baby." She mumbled.  
  
He punched her in the face. "I told you to shut the hell up!" He tightened his grip on her again.  
  
Eric and Leroy followed them, keeping behind ready to be shielded.  
  
Delroy opened the door with one hand and then clamped it quickly around her throat tightly, almost cutting off her air supply.  
  
They walked out once again into the night, this time they kept going down the path towards where the police had backed off and parked the car.  
  
Cordelia stumbled and Delroy dug the gun further into her swollen stomach, making her cry out in pain. "Angel." She murmured.  
  
They neared the car and Leroy jumped in before the police could target him. Eric stayed behind until they were next to it.  
  
"Thanks." He told Cordelia. "Good luck with the baby."  
  
She nodded although she was too scared to believe that he was being sincere.  
  
"Stay in front of the car until we move away." Delroy ordered her, slipping into the front seat. He turned the key in the ignition.  
  
As soon as she heard the engine flip over she fell flat to the floor, or rather as flat as she could get with the bump pressed against the floor, enabling the police to get a clear shot.  
  
She heard the bullets rip through the glass of the car and puncture the metal of the bodywork but she daren't look. She felt pieces of glass land on her back but she still didn't lift her head off the floor.  
  
She felt strong, familiar hands lifting her off the floor and she fells into his waiting arms, sobbing away all the fear from the last half hour.  
  
The police insisted on calling for paramedics to take Cordelia to the hospital, even though she insisted she was fine.  
  
Angel sat and held her hand while the paramedics took her blood pressure and took samples of blood.  
  
To Angel, she felt cold and she looked very pale.  
  
Her hands were shaking ever so slightly and by the time they reached the hospital the paramedics had put an oxygen mask on her.  
  
He was shown to a waiting room where he nervously paced and bit his lip until he was shown to her fifteen minutes later.  
  
The nurse kept up a running commentary as she took him through the hospital. "We transferred Cordelia to maternity as she started having contractions in the ER."  
  
"Having contractions?" Angel asked, stopping walking and grabbing the nurse's arm. "But she's not to term!"  
  
"Well, I don't know what's happening because I'm an ER nurse. One of the maternity nurses will be able to tell you more." She steered him down the corridor. "I'm sure she'll be fine. How many weeks is she?"  
  
"Thirty five." He replied automatically. There was a calendar in the office and Wes had written how many weeks she would be on each Saturday.  
  
"Oh, well that's not too bad." The nurse told him. "We get women come into the ER everyday that are less weeks than that and they leave with their babies the next day."  
  
Angel didn't reply.  
  
She showed him to her room and left.  
  
"How are you?" He asked as he entered.  
  
She was sat on the bed in a gown with a blanket tucked around her waist. "I'm having contractions Angel! I'm only thirty five weeks!"  
  
She looked completely panicked. "It will be okay." He soothed and stroked her head.  
  
"How can it be okay? I'm not ready yet! I thought I had at least another month."  
  
"It'll be okay." He repeated, hugging her body to his. "I promise."  
  
A doctor came in to see them and she smiled. "Hello, I'm Doctor Clarkson. I understand you're a bit anxious?"  
  
"I'm having contractions!" Cordelia exclaimed, breathing hard through another pain.  
  
"Actually, you're not." She told them. "What you're experiencing are Brackston Hicks Contractions. They're mild contractions that a lot of pregnant women experience during the last couple of months of their pregnancy. I can prescribe a mild painkiller for you and you can go home."  
  
"So, I'm not having the baby?" She asked.  
  
"No." The doctor smiled. "Now, before I let you go home we'll check to see if the baby is okay by doing a quick ultrasound. I understand you've been through a bit of an ordeal."  
  
"You could say that." Angel told her.  
  
"There shouldn't be anything wrong as you're experiencing the Brackston Hicks, but we'll check to be on the safe side." She smiled.  
  
She lifted Cordelia's gown up, making sure that she was still covered and applied the gel.  
  
Angel stared intently at the screen as the ultrasound was pressed on Cordelia's abdomen.  
  
"And there is your baby." The doctor told them. "A nice strong heart beat and a good size."  
  
"She's okay?" Cordelia asked, lifting herself up on her elbows so she could see.  
  
Angel put an arm around her back to support her.  
  
"She's absolutely fine." The doctor promised. "You're free to go home." 


	8. Chapter Eight

Everyone was waiting anxiously at the hotel for them to get back from the hotel. When a taxi pulled up outside they all jumped up.  
  
Cordelia was leaning against Angel as they came up the path.  
  
She smiled at them all shakily. "Hi guys."  
  
"Are you okay?" Wes asked first.  
  
"I'm fine. I'm having contractions, but I'm fine."  
  
"Contractions?" Fred frowned. "Oh, Brackston Hicks!"  
  
"What? You know about them? Why didn't I know about them?" Cordelia pointed out.  
  
"We just assumed." Wes told her.  
  
"You too?" She shrugged. "Oh well, they could have been real ones I suppose."  
  
"I think you should go and get some sleep." Wes advised.  
  
"I agree." Angel told her.  
  
"Uh, guys, did anyone see if the police managed to shoot any of the, uh, men?"  
  
"One of them got shot." Wesley told her warily. "Why?"  
  
She hesitated. "One of them was nice to me. I just, I guess I didn't want him to get shot."  
  
Angel put pressure on her back and she started to walk again, towards the stairs. "We'll see you in the morning." Angel told them.  
  
He steered her up the stairs and into her room. "Go and get ready for bed and then I'll help you get into bed."  
  
"I don't know where I left my night clothes."  
  
"I'll find them." He told her and sat her down on the bed. "Where did you get dressed this morning?"  
  
"I don't know." She shrugged. "I think..."  
  
Angel turned to see why she had stopped talking and saw her head drop into her hands. "Cordy?"  
  
She shook her head and he went to kneel at her feet. He put his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"It's okay. You're safe now. Everything will be okay." He soothed. "Just let it all come out and you'll feel better."  
  
She lifted her head and she began gulping for air between sobs. "I was so scared... I thought he was going to kill her... or kill me... or worse..."  
  
"Or what? What did he threaten to do?"  
  
He looked into her eyes and he knew what she meant without her having to say it. "But he didn't?"  
  
She shook her head. "No."  
  
"Look, I think you should get into bed and get some sleep and then you'll feel better tomorrow. It's getting late anyway." He tucked her hair behind her ears. "Now, let me go and find your night clothes so you can get some sleep."  
  
He went into her bathroom and found the pyjamas she'd been sleeping in.  
  
When he came back into the bedroom Cordelia was fast asleep on the edge of the bed. He smiled and put the pyjamas on the chair.  
  
He shuffled her further onto the bed and covered her with a thick blanket before dropping a light kiss on her temple. "Good night Cordelia."  
  
He was awoken at three in the morning by wild screaming. He rushed out of his room and ran straight into a startled looking Fred and a half naked Gunn.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" Angel asked, momentarily stilled.  
  
"We decided to stay at the hotel tonight." Fred told him. "Cordelia was screaming."  
  
"Oh!" Angel remembered and hurtled through the door.  
  
Cordelia was curled up on her side clutching her pillow. Her hair was wild and her eyes were closed. She had stopped screaming but she was whimpering. She did appear to be half asleep.  
  
Angel went towards the bed and lay down against her back, resting his left arm on the pillow and wrapping his right arm across her waist. "Shush, it's okay. You're okay now."  
  
Gunn and Fred watched as Angel calmed her down and sent her back off to sleep.  
  
Fred shut the door and they went back to bed.  
  
Angel stayed until he was sure that Cordelia was asleep and then he went back to his room.  
  
He didn't get to sleep until well after five, when he was sure that she was going to stay asleep. Only when he heard her heartbeat settle and stay at a regular beat did he close his eyes.  
  
They didn't talk about what had happened after that night. Cordelia stuck her head into her work and seemed to almost shut herself off. She wasn't depressed or withdrawn; she just didn't talk about that night.  
  
As her due date got closer she started to get more and more restless.  
  
Angel frequently caught her rearranging her desk and the filing cabinet or tidying her wardrobes.  
  
Wes called it the 'mother hen syndrome' which always caused Cordelia to roll her eyes.  
  
In the last couple of weeks she called her mom a lot and went to have massages to try and relax her. She'd spoke to her doctor and she taught her breathing exercises that she was to do when she started labour. They decided to go for the epidural form of pain relief after Cordelia spent hours agonising over what to do.  
  
Without asking her everyone could tell that she was very nervous and she snipped at them when they asked her questions.  
  
After getting completely exasperated, Angel rang Mrs Chase who calmed him down by insisting that everything she was doing was completely normal.  
  
When Cordelia found out he'd called she completely flipped out and ranted at him about not trusting her and going behind her back to her mother.  
  
Fred, this time, assured him that her hormones were out of whack and that she didn't mean anything by it.  
  
In her last week she looked absolutely huge, her stomach was protruding outwards and her breasts and hands had swelled. The baby had lowered, to what her doctor called 'missile position'. In other words, ready to come out.  
  
Her due date came and went and she became incredibly crabby. She spent a lot of time pacing and basically drove everyone crazy. Her doctor was reluctant to induce her because it was her first baby.  
  
A week after her due date she went into labour.  
  
She was walking around the lobby when she felt the first pains.  
  
Angel noticed her stand straight still and got up from his desk. "Are you okay?"  
  
She nodded but then winced. "I think this is it."  
  
Everyone seemed to jump up at once and start panicking.  
  
Cordelia burst out laughing. Suddenly all the tension and anxiousness she'd felt over the last couple of weeks had disappeared.  
  
At the sound of her laughing everyone calmed down and took things a little slower.  
  
"I'll get the bag." Angel informed them. "Wes, you get Cordy in the car. Gunn, you can come with me through the sewers and Fred, you go with Wes and Cordelia in the car."  
  
He ran up the stairs to where he'd left Cordelia's hospital bag. He ran back down the stairs with it and gave it to Fred. "Tell her I won't be long!"  
  
He turned to Gunn. "She's having the baby!"  
  
"I know man." Gunn grinned. "We'd better get going or else she'll have it before we get there!"  
  
When they got to the hospital Cordelia had been given a private room and she'd been made comfortable and put on a drip.  
  
"Hey, are you okay?" Angel asked, sitting on the chair nearest her head.  
  
Wes and Fred had automatically sat at the back of the room, knowing that Angel would want to be nearest.  
  
"I'm okay." She smiled. "Now that I know its happening I feel better."  
  
"Are you in any pain?"  
  
She shook her head. "My waters haven't broken yet. The nurse said I should start and feel more pain then."  
  
He nodded and seemed to relax.  
  
"The doctor was very nice." Wes commented. "She cleared everything up for us and assured us that the utmost would be done to make Cordelia comfortable."  
  
"Speaking of being comfortable." Cordelia muttered and breathed through another pain.  
  
Angel squeezed her hand. "Did she say how long it should take?"  
  
"No, she said it was difficult to tell. When my waters break she should be able to tell more. These pains aren't even proper contractions. The 'real' ones will start then."  
  
"Well, I put some magazines and a book in your bag so there's plenty for you to read." He told her with a smile.  
  
"Did you get the new Cosmo?" She asked hopefully.  
  
He nodded and pulled it out. "Here."  
  
"Get comfy guys, hopefully it'll all be over by the time I finish." She told them hopefully and started to read her magazine.  
  
She'd gone through Cosmo and In Style before Dr Connelly decided to break her waters for her.  
  
She ushered everyone out of the room and spread plastic sheets between Cordelia's legs. She put her feet in stirrups so she could see what she was doing.  
  
"Will it hurt?" Cordelia asked anxiously.  
  
"It shouldn't." The doctor assured her and then broke her waters with a popping sound and then a gush of water. "See? That wasn't too bad. Now, we'll get your epidural line in now and then when we get into labour we can put the drug straight in. How does that sound?"  
  
"As long as I feel no pain."  
  
Dr Connelly smiled. "I'll go and get the anaesthetist and get a nurse to come and clean you up. Do you want one of your friends in with you when we put the line in?"  
  
She nodded. "Angel."  
  
"I'll tell the nurse and she'll send him in when she's done." Dr Connelly promised and left the room.  
  
Quickly a nurse came in. "Hello, how are you feeling?"  
  
"A little nervous, I guess." Cordelia admitted.  
  
"Oh, I suppose that's natural with your first baby." The nurse told her and started to clean Cordelia's legs and tidy up the plastic sheets. "Have you decided on a name?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, I haven't really thought about it yet. What's your name?"  
  
"Alex; or rather Alexandra." The nurse smiled. "So, you know the sex then?"  
  
"Yeah, the curiosity killed me." She admitted.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure you'll think of one when you see your baby. When I had my first I couldn't think of a name but when he came out I knew he was a Sam." She told her.  
  
Cordelia suddenly winced as a pain shot across her abdomen. It lasted for about ten seconds and then went away. "I think that was my first official contraction."  
  
"Should I say congratulations?" Alex joked and lowered Cordelia's legs back onto the bed. "Why don't you try bending your legs and then lowering them to the side? It's an old wives tale. It's supposed to relieve pain and help your cervix to dilate faster."  
  
Cordelia did what Alex had suggested. "Anything to make it go faster."  
  
"Who did you want me to get for you? Angel?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Is he your husband?"  
  
"No, just a friend. The baby's father isn't in the picture."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." Alex offered.  
  
"No, that's a good thing. Trust me!"  
  
"I'll go get him for you and find out where the anaesthetist is."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
A couple of minutes later Angel came back in. "Are you okay?"  
  
She smiled. "Yeah, an anaesthetist is going to come and put my epidural line in so that when the pain starts the drugs can go straight in." She told him. "Come sit with me."  
  
He came across the room and sat down. "I don't know about you but this is hell on my nerves."  
  
She laughed. "You don't have any nerves."  
  
He grinned. "Well, that's true."  
  
Just as she was about to speak again Dr Connelly, Alex and the anaesthetist, a bald man with black glasses, came in.  
  
"Now Cordelia, we need you to swing your legs off the bed and lean forward onto your friend." Dr Connelly told her and pulled the blanket off her body. "Slowly."  
  
She sat up and swung her legs off the bed, towards Angel. "Now, lean forwards. I'm just going to lift your gown up so we can see."  
  
"Now Cordelia." The anaesthetist spoke. "You'll feel a slight pressured, which is just me finding the correct spot. Then you'll feel a cold gel being rubbed onto your skin. If you feel yourself having a contraction you must tell me because you'll need to be very still once I insert the needle. If the needle is already in then Dr Connelly will hold you down so you don't move. Do you understand?"  
  
She nodded. "Go ahead."  
  
She looked at Angel and he smiled. His hand sought hers and she squeezed it gently. "It's okay." He murmured.  
  
He could tell when the needle went in because he felt her body tense up and then go impossibly still.  
  
Dr Connelly held Cordelia's hips still just in case.  
  
After about three minutes the anaesthetist announced he was done. "That's it. Dr Connelly knows how to administer the drug so I'll leave you in her capable hands."  
  
Dr Connelly smiled. "You were very brave. I'll put a little of the drug in now to take the edge off the pain."  
  
She connected a small syringe to the end of the pipe that was now in her back. "You might feel a bit drowsy but that's normal. When you're ten centimetres dilated we'll put the highest amount in to keep you comfortable. I'll do a quick internal now and then I'll leave you for a while."  
  
Alex helped her get back into bed and get comfortable; with the pipe in her back it was more difficult.  
  
"Do you want me to go?" Angel asked.  
  
Dr Connelly heard. "Don't worry. It'll only take a second."  
  
"It's okay Angel, you won't see anything." Cordelia promised with a smile.  
  
After a quick examination Dr Connelly told her that she was three centimetres dilated.  
  
"That's all?" She exclaimed. "Are you sure?"  
  
Dr Connelly smiled. "That's all I'm afraid. But that's pretty good. The contractions should start pretty strong soon so don't be alarmed. It's completely normal."  
  
Alex and Dr Connelly left with the proviso that she would press the call button if she needed anything.  
  
Wes came in when she'd gone. "How is everything going?"  
  
"I'm three centimetres dilated and I'm all set up for pain relief." She announced.  
  
"That's good."  
  
"Where are Fred and Gunn?" She asked, taking a sip of water from the cup on the table.  
  
"They went for a walk. They said they'd come back soon to see you." He assured her.  
  
"That's okay. You know, you all don't have to stay with me if you don't want. I've got Angel here."  
  
"No, we want to be here. Besides, where else would we be?" He pointed out and sat down.  
  
She shrugged and then clutched her stomach as another contraction hit. This one hurt more and lasted a lot longer.  
  
"Are you okay?" Angel asked.  
  
"That hurt." She gasped. "Why did that one hurt?"  
  
Wes suppressed a smile. "I think labour is supposed to hurt a little."  
  
"It shouldn't." She pointed out. "Women get all the pain."  
  
A couple of hours later Cordelia was nine centimetres dilated and she was taken into the delivery room.  
  
She was in a lot of pain and Dr Connelly had topped up her epidural when the pain started getting bad. As of yet it hadn't worked although Dr Connelly promised her it soon would.  
  
Her contractions were coming hard and fast, giving her only a few seconds in between to take a breath.  
  
She was ten seconds dilated when she was wheeled into the delivery room and very soon the baby was crowning. Her feet were placed in stirrups and she was encouraged to push.  
  
"I'm not ready." She whimpered to Angel. "It's too hard!"  
  
"No, it's not." He assured her, stroking back her hair and making her suck on the gas and air. "You can do this Cordelia. This is what you've waited nine months for. And just think, after this you'll have a daughter for the rest of your life."  
  
"I don't care. I just want it to stop!" She wailed.  
  
"Concentrate Cordelia!" Dr Connelly told her. "You need to push very hard when you feel your next contraction, okay? Push very hard!"  
  
She felt the next contraction build up inside her and she pushed as hard as she could. "I can't do this!" She screamed.  
  
Angel put an arm around her back to hold her in a sitting position. "Push Cordelia!"  
  
"I can't." She argued, tears running down her red face. "Do it for me?"  
  
He laughed. "I can't. You have to do this! Now Cordelia, push!"  
  
With the next wave of pain she pushed.  
  
"That's it Cordelia!" Alex encouraged. "We can see the head!"  
  
"You can?"  
  
"Yes, now you have to relax now, so stop pushing and let the baby's head come out on its own." Dr Connelly told her. "Relax. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth."  
  
Cordelia took deep breaths, trying not to focus on the searing pain as the head pushed its way out.  
  
"Okay now, get ready to push again!" Alex encouraged.  
  
"Not again." She shook her head and fell onto Angel's arm.  
  
He pulled her back up again. "This it the last push now and then you're done. I promise!"  
  
She looked at him. "If you're lying I swear I will kill your ass when all this pain is over!"  
  
"Last one Cordelia." Dr Connelly smiled, holding the baby's head in her hands. "Now!"  
  
Cordelia pushed so hard she thought her heart would shoot out of her as well as the baby.  
  
The baby's shoulders worked free and the rest of the baby slid out into Dr Connelly's hands.  
  
Angel let Cordelia lay back down again on the bed.  
  
"As promised, you have a baby girl!" Dr Connelly announced as she cut the umbilical cord. "She's beautiful!"  
  
Cordelia lifted her head to try and see.  
  
"Here she is." She announced and handed Cordelia the baby girl, wrapped in towels.  
  
Cordelia held her against her chest and touched the tiny fingers.  
  
She barely felt the afterbirth slip out of her.  
  
"She's beautiful." Angel told her, leaning closer.  
  
Cordelia swallowed back the lump in her throat. "She's perfect."  
  
The baby opened her eyes to reveal bright blue irises. "Hello baby, I'm your mommy."  
  
Cordelia smiled at her. "She's absolutely perfect."  
  
She looked around for Dr Connelly. "She is perfect?"  
  
"She's perfect." She reassured her. "Let us take her to clean her up a bit and then we'll take you back to your room. You delivered the placenta quickly so we'll clean you up and get you back to rest."  
  
"You'll bring her to me?" She asked as Alex took the baby from her arms.  
  
"I promise." Alex told her, taking the baby into an adjoining room.  
  
She lay back on the bed while another nurse cleaned her up.  
  
"You did really good." Angel told her smiling.  
  
"I did, didn't I?" She smiled and held her arms out. "I think I deserve a hug."  
  
He reached down and hugged her tight. "You do deserve a hug."  
  
He pulled back slightly to kiss her cheek. She moved her head so that their lips were just millimetres apart. Tentatively she leaned up and pressed her warm lips to his cool ones.  
  
His eyes questioned hers but she closed them quickly. His hand drifted to her cheek and he deepened the kiss, ever so slightly brushing her tongue with his.  
  
Just as quickly as they had begun they parted. "Well, that was new." She said awkwardly.  
  
The nurse took her feet out of the stirrups and covered her with a blanket. "There, all done. We'll get you back to your room now."  
  
The bars on the bed were put up and she was wheeled down the corridor.  
  
They passed Wes, Gunn and Fred who all jumped up as she went past.  
  
Everyone crowded into the room and hugged her.  
  
"Was it very bad?" Fred asked.  
  
"Not really." She lied.  
  
Angel repressed the urge to comment. "The baby is beautiful."  
  
"Are they bringing her in or is she going in the nursery?" Wes asked.  
  
"They're bringing her in to me." Cordelia told them and reached up for the water she'd left on the table. "Do you think they got lost?"  
  
Everyone laughed and Angel reassured her that they wouldn't have got lost.  
  
She yawned. "I feel so sleepy."  
  
"I think you deserve to be." Gunn told her boyishly.  
  
The door opened and Alex brought her baby in. "I didn't expect a full room! Do you want me to give her to you? You could feed her, she must be hungry."  
  
"I don't know how." Cordelia admitted.  
  
"Oh, it's easier than you'd think." Alex told her and placed the baby gently in the crook of her left arm. "Just hold on to her and I'll go and get you a bottle for her. We'll try her on formula first, it's easier."  
  
Cordelia held onto her as she was told and Fred cam forward to peek into the bundle of blankets. "Oh, she's so pretty!"  
  
Cordelia smiled and stroked her cheek. "Yeah she is."  
  
Wes ventured forwards to look over Fred's shoulder and Gunn went to stand next to Angel.  
  
"She's... perfect." Wes told her and got choked up. "Allergies."  
  
Cordelia looked at Angel and they both laughed. He ran his hand across her hair.  
  
Gunn shot a look at Fred but he didn't comment. "That's one good looking kid."  
  
She looked up and smiled at him. "She must have got that from her mother's side."  
  
"Damn straight!" He grinned.  
  
Alex came back in with a bottle and she showed Cordelia how to feed the baby. "Have you thought of a name now you've seen her?"  
  
She shook her head. "No."  
  
"Oh don't worry, there's plenty of time." Alex smiled. "I'm going off my shift now and I won't be in for another couple of days. Hopefully you'll be out of here by then. Good luck with her, whatever you decided to call her."  
  
"Thanks Alex." Cordelia smiled. "For everything."  
  
"It was my pleasure." The nurse replied and left the room quietly. 


	9. Chapter Nine

They waited while Cordelia had finished feeding the baby and then they held her. Angel stepped back and let Fred, Gunn and Wesley all hold her first and then he took her.  
  
"We should probably get going." Wes told Cordelia. "And let you sleep."  
  
Wes went and kissed Cordelia on her cheek. "Congratulations."  
  
"Thank you Wes." She replied, hugging his shoulders.  
  
Gunn and Fred took turns in hugging her. "You coming Angel?" Gunn asked.  
  
He shook his head. "I'll stay a while." He turned to Cordelia. "If that's okay?"  
  
She smiled and nodded. "Fine."  
  
"Well then, we'll see you tomorrow." Wes promised and they left.  
  
She curled up on her side on the bed and dangled her arm off the side so she could stroke her baby's head. "I can't believe I actually have her."  
  
"It's been a hectic day." He reminded her.  
  
"You can say that again." She yawned. "I did think of a name by the way."  
  
"You did? But I thought you told the nurse you hadn't?"  
  
"I did."  
  
"Why did you do that?"  
  
"Because I didn't want to tell them all before I told you." She told him honestly.  
  
"What's the name?"  
  
"I wanted to do something for you and I know you told me your sister's name was Kathy Megan." She told him with a small smile. "Well, I'm not that keen on Kathy so I decided on Megan Katherine Chase."  
  
Angel's mouth fell open and he was speechless. "You want to name your baby after my sister?"  
  
"I know how much you loved her." She told him softly, still stroking her baby's downy head.  
  
"You don't have to do that." He told her, swallowing hard past the lump in his throat.  
  
"I want to. It's a pretty name."  
  
He touched her fingers with his and she grabbed his hand. "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome." She smiled and then yawned again.  
  
He laughed. "Get some sleep."  
  
"Will you stay?" She asked hopefully.  
  
He nodded. "Yeah I will. Now, close your eyes."  
  
She did as she was told and felt his fingers brush hers as they rested on Megan's head. She didn't know whether it was on purpose or by accident but she didn't care.  
  
When she awoke again it was morning and Angel had moved his chair so he was sat in the shade, out of direct sunlight. His head was drooping onto his chest and it was clear that he was asleep.  
  
She shuffled up the bed a little and winced at the soreness she now felt.  
  
A glance at her watch told her it was eighty thirty, still too early for any visitors. She should probably call her mom sometime today though, to assure her that everything went well.  
  
"Good morning!" A nurse greeted and rolled Megan in, she was still in the 'crib on wheels', as Gunn had called it. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"A little sore and tired." She admitted.  
  
"Well, that's understandable. I'll send Dr Connelly in to examine you and make sure everything is okay." She made sure Megan was all wrapped up and she handed her to Cordelia. "Here she is. She's been fed and bathed so she should be okay for a couple of hours. Someone will me in sometime this morning to tell you how to do things. We do it with all the first time mothers." She looked over at Angel and smiled broadly. "It looks like your friend's passed out across there. Anyone think he'd just had a baby!"  
  
Cordelia laughed but said nothing.  
  
"Is he the daddy?" The nurse asked, making conversation as she straightened Cordelia's sheets and wrote on her chart. She made to check Cordelia's blood pressure. "He's a good looking one."  
  
"No, he isn't the father. He's just a friend. A very good friend." She smiled. "But just a friend."  
  
"He stayed here all night; he must be a good friend." She finished checking Cordelia's blood pressure and wrote it down on her chart. "Have you thought of a name for her yet?"  
  
Cordelia nodded. "Megan Katherine Chase."  
  
"That's a lovely name. How did you think of it?" The nurse asked.  
  
"My friend's sister's name is Kathy Megan. I don't like Kathy that much so I decided on Megan Katherine. She died when she was young and I thought it would be a nice namesake for her."  
  
"I like it. Now we can stop calling her Baby Girl Chase." She smiled. "I'll tell Dr Connelly to come and see you and then hopefully you can be home by tonight."  
  
"Tonight? Already?" She exclaimed. "I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I might kill her!"  
  
The nurse laughed. "You'll be fine. We try not to keep you in hospital that long nowadays if there has been no complications during labour. I'll come and see you later."  
  
She left the room and Angel opened his eyes.  
  
"You were awake!" She accused.  
  
He smiled. "Yeah."  
  
She looked down at the baby. "Then you heard her say I might be able to go home tonight."  
  
He nodded. "I think you'll do fine. It's not as if you're on your own with her. I live in the room next to yours and Fred's down the hall. There's always someone nearby if you panic. Or kill her."  
  
She shot him the finger and he laughed. "I was just kidding."  
  
"I know." She told him. "You might want to make yourself scarce when Dr Connelly comes to see me."  
  
He nodded. "I was already planning on doing that."  
  
"Maybe you could take her for a walk." She suggested, stroking her pink cheek with her index finger.  
  
He nodded. "I could do that. Wes said they'd come back this morning too."  
  
She nodded. "Everyone's been really kind."  
  
"Why should they not be?" He frowned.  
  
"Well, we came to the hospital yesterday morning and they were here really late last night. They didn't have to be."  
  
"They're your family Cordelia, they wouldn't be anywhere else." He assured her. "And neither would I."  
  
"We should probably talk about what's been happening between us." She told him, avoiding his eyes. "I think that..."  
  
She was interrupted by Dr Connelly coming through the door. "Good morning Mommy! How do you feel?"  
  
"Okay." She replied and looked at Angel. "Why don't you take her?"  
  
He nodded and stood up, avoiding the sunlight, and took Megan from her. "I'll be back when you're done."  
  
She nodded. "Okay."  
  
He left and Dr Connelly put on a pair of latex gloves. "We'll take a quick look and check that you're doing okay and not developing any infections and then we'll see about getting you discharged this afternoon if everything's alright."  
  
Cordelia nodded, shoved the sheets off her and put her feet in the stirrups that Dr Connelly pulled up.  
  
Cordelia pulled a face as she felt a stinging sensation.  
  
"Does that hurt?" Dr Connelly asked.  
  
"It stings."  
  
"That's normal; it should go away in few days. You should probably try not to have sex in until the pain has gone."  
  
"There's not trouble of that." She muttered under her breath.  
  
Dr Connelly smiled. "Well, no sex for a few days and take warm baths everyday to ease the pain. I can give you some pain relief tablets as well that should help. If you find the pain doesn't go away then come back and I'll take another look and prescribe an ointment." She told her. "And that's pretty much it. There's nothing wrong down there, she came out pretty easy. You're lucky. You had no tearing and we didn't need to use forceps."  
  
"My worst nightmare." Cordelia admitted. "The pain was pretty bad but I know it could have been worse."  
  
"It sure could have." Dr Connelly agreed and put her feet back onto the bed. "I'll send one of the nurses in to help you get showered and dressed; you'll feel better after that. The nurse will tell you what you need to know, make sure you know what you're doing and then you can go home."  
  
"So soon?"  
  
Dr Connelly smiled. "We don't like to keep you in for long. It's better for mommy and baby if they're in they're in mommy's familiar surroundings. Besides, you'll feel more comfortable at home. If you need help then all you have to do is come back here or call in a clinic."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You're welcome. I'll make sure a nurse comes in to you. Good luck!"  
  
"Bye." Cordelia smiled as she left. "I guess."  
  
Wes, Gunn and Fred came back while she was showering in the small shower room down the hall. They'd brought balloons and soft toys, expecting her to be staying in a while. Angel was sat in the shade with the baby when she came back in her room and everyone else was sat on her bed.  
  
"Oh!" She exclaimed. "You guys!"  
  
She went and sat next to Wes and put her arm around his shoulders. "You guys are so great. Angel told you I'm coming home this afternoon? I'm wearing actual clothes!"  
  
Wes smiled. "Yes he told us. It's very good news."  
  
"I know." She agreed and dropped her head onto his shoulder. "I called her Megan."  
  
"We heard that too." Gunn told her. "We've been here a good half hour girl; we were starting to think you'd drowned it there!"  
  
"Charles!" Fred scolded. "You weren't long at all. He just gets bored easily."  
  
"We can go home as soon as the nurse tells me how not to kill her when I get her home." Cordelia promised him. "You could go now if you want. Maybe get some takeaway, I'm starving! Hospital food sucks."  
  
"We could do that." Fred told her and stood up quickly. "We could get tacos!"  
  
Cordelia laughed and lifted her head. "Tacos sound great."  
  
Fred and Gunn left to go and get food and Cordelia shuffled further onto the bed and crossed her legs. "Are you okay with her?" She asked Angel.  
  
He nodded and smiled. "I fed her while you were showering and she fell straight asleep."  
  
She smiled. "She looks peaceful."  
  
Wes looked at Angel oddly. "She does look peaceful. You know what? I think I'll go with Fred and Gunn. If we leave them on their own God knows how many they'll bring back with them."  
  
He stood up and kissed Cordelia's cheek. "I'll see you when you get home."  
  
He nodded to Angel and practically ran out of the door.  
  
"What's with him?" Cordelia asked.  
  
Angel just shrugged, he had no idea.  
  
Cordelia and Megan were released from the hospital just after the sun had set, which was lucky for Angel. A woman had been rushed in for an emergency c-section so the nurses had been tied up until late afternoon.  
  
Angel had gone to the cafeteria to get her some coffee and a sandwich but she was looking for the tacos when she got home, that was if they hadn't eaten them already. Angel hailed a taxi outside the hospital and helped Cordelia inside with Megan in her carrycot that Wes had brought her that morning.  
  
"I wonder if she wonders what's going on." Cordelia mused as they neared the hotel.  
  
He shrugged. "Maybe. I mean, she's been pushed out of her nice warm home and been forced to come out into the cold. She must wonder what's happening."  
  
Cordelia smiled. "I'm glad you can make the birth process simpler. I'm not sure I can."  
  
"Just think of it as this; first you got really fat and then the fat turned into a baby." He joked.  
  
She swatted his arm and held her hand on his leather coat for a moment. "We need to talk when we get home."  
  
"I know." He agreed. "Let's wait while she's settled though first."  
  
She nodded and looked out of the window as they pulled up outside the Hyperion. "Let's go get her settled then."  
  
Angel paid the driver and took the carry cot. She leaned on his arm as they walked up the path. Her stomach growled. "They better had saved me a taco!"  
  
He laughed. "If not I'll go out and get one for you."  
  
She pushed open the door with her foot. "You don't have to do that."  
  
"I want to." He replied as he followed her inside.  
  
Everyone looked up as they came in. It wasn't that they had been doing work, they had been pretending so they wouldn't think they were slacking. They had been too excited to do any work.  
  
Gunn came across first and took the carry cot from Angel, setting it on the floor next to his chair.  
  
Cordelia collapsed onto the couch, crossing her legs and wrapping her arm across her knee. "Did you save any tacos?"  
  
"I managed to save one for you from these two gannets." Wes assured her with a smile. "I can warm it up for you if you want."  
  
She nodded gratefully. "That would be great, hospital food isn't the best."  
  
Wes got up and put a small plate in the microwave. "Has Megan been fed recently?"  
  
"No." Cordelia replied. "She's slept a lot this afternoon so she hasn't had a good feed. I should probably make up a bottle for her actually."  
  
She made to stand up. "I can do that." Angel offered, already making his way to where he'd stored the formula, bottles and steriliser weeks ago.  
  
"No, you don't have to." She argued.  
  
"I want to." He insisted. "Just sit down and relax, while you can."  
  
"You decided to bottle feed then?" Fred asked, watching fondly as Gunn cooed at the now awake baby.  
  
"Yeah, the nurse said it would be less stressful on me and this way all of you guys can help too!" She grinned cheekily.  
  
The microwave pinged and Wes went to get her food. "A lot of new moms decide to bottle feed merely for convenience. Breast feeding can take a lot of getting used to and can cause a lot of pain at first."  
  
He handed Cordelia her taco and she looked at him in amazement. "Ever had to breastfeed Wes?"  
  
He blushed. "Of course not, I like to read."  
  
She just raised an eyebrow as she bit into her taco. "Oh, hot!"  
  
Fred looked over and laughed. "I did that too."  
  
Gunn picked the baby up. "She looks like you Barbie."  
  
"Better than looking like her father." Cordelia replied sourly.  
  
Gunn snickered. "There's definitely a look of stubbornness to her."  
  
"Hey!" Cordelia protested. "I am not stubborn!"  
  
"Yeah right." Angel commented sarcastically as he came through after making the bottle. "And pigs might fly!"  
  
Cordelia fed Megan and changed her and then went upstairs with her to have a nap. She was still tired and weak after giving birth.  
  
They managed to get a couple of hours sleep in before Megan woke up and in turn woke up her mom.  
  
Cordelia carried her downstairs pressed against her chest.  
  
"Did you manage to get to sleep?" Angel asked when she sat down at her desk.  
  
"Yeah, I got a couple of hours." She told him, swapping her hold on the baby so she was laid in the crook of her left arm.  
  
"Your mom called." Fred told her.  
  
"Oh my God! I totally forgot to call her!" Cordelia exclaimed. "Did you tell her? Who picked up?"  
  
"I did." Wes told her. "And no, I just told her that you would call her back."  
  
"Thanks." Cordelia told him gratefully. "I'd better call now before I forget again."  
  
She quickly looked up the number in her address book and dialled. A maid answered and she put her call straight through to her mother's bedroom. "Hi mom, I didn't wake you did I? I'd already dialled before I looked at my watch."  
  
"No, you didn't. How are you darling? You didn't answer my calls, I was so worried!" Mrs Chase exclaimed.  
  
"I had a baby girl yesterday mom." Cordelia smiled as her mom screamed down the phone and called for her dad to pick up the extension.  
  
"Congratulations darling!" He enthused. "What have you called her?"  
  
"Megan Katherine. She's absolutely gorgeous!"  
  
"How much did she weigh?" Mrs Chase asked excitedly.  
  
"Eight pounds four." Cordelia informed her. "She has loads of black hair and bright blue eyes."  
  
"You must bring her here!" Mrs Chase insisted. "As soon as possible!"  
  
"Give the girl a chance woman!" Mr Chase scolded. "Send us pictures and come see us when you can."  
  
"I will, I promise."  
  
"Did the labour go okay?" Mrs Chase asked.  
  
"It hurt a lot even though I had an epidural but it went quite quickly, or so they told me." She told them dryly and Kathy began to cry.  
  
"Oh, she's crying!" Mrs Chase exclaimed.  
  
"I hear that mom." Cordelia tried to juggle the phone and the baby and then decided it was impossible. "I'll have to call you back, I love you both."  
  
They both said bye and Cordelia hung up so she could focus on Megan. "Do you think she's tired or hungry or both? I only just changed her so it can't be that."  
  
"She might be tired." Fred suggested. "It is getting late."  
  
Cordelia nodded. "I should take her upstairs. Goodnight everyone."  
  
She took Megan upstairs and rocked her until she was asleep. She placed her on her back in the Moses basket and took the blanket out. She switched on the baby monitor and took the speaker into her room, placing it on the nightstand.  
  
She changed for bed quickly and got under the covers. Her eyes were closed before her head hit the pillow and she was fast asleep within seconds. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Megan got Cordelia up four times in the night and then at five thirty Cordelia gave up the hope of getting anymore sleep. She plodded downstairs with the baby in her carrycot and made a pot of coffee and a bottle.  
  
She settled herself on her chair and put the carrycot on her desk. She sipped at her coffee while she held the bottle for her baby.  
  
"Feel better now huh? Now mommy is up and feeding you. Because it's not like I didn't feed you an hour or two ago. No it isn't." She cooed as she fed her. "You're two days old and you still manage to eat more than I do. And I'm a big person. You're just a tiny little thing. But you wouldn't think it from the size of my stomach. No you wouldn't. You're not even in there anymore. I'm like a balloon, all blown up!"  
  
Megan sucked greedily at the teat and a stream of milk dripped down her chin. Cordelia tutted at her and mopped it up with her bib. "You're a messy eater."  
  
She finished with the bottle and Cordelia got up to put it in the sink. She went back and picked Megan up to burp her. She was sat with her in her arms when Angel came down the stairs. She winced. "Did I wake you?"  
  
He nodded. "But it's okay."  
  
"There's some coffee if you want." She told him, hoping he would see it as a peace offering. "I'm sorry about waking you."  
  
"It's okay, really. Besides, I should be getting used to it." He told her. "You look tired."  
  
"That's probably because I am." She replied quietly. "I look that bad?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not really. Why don't you go take a shower now that I'm up?"  
  
"I will do in a while." She told him and raised her left leg so that it rested on the edge of her chair and took some of Megan's weight instead of having it all rested on her arm.  
  
"Did you manage to get any sleep?" He asked and sat down next to her.  
  
"A little. She managed to get me up four times before she settled and then woke up again about a half hour ago." She told him and drank the last of her coffee. "I'm afraid that I'm doing things all wrong."  
  
"Cordelia, you've been a mom for about a day and a half, give yourself time to get used to it. I'm sure all new moms feel that they're doing everything wrong in the beginning." He assured her.  
  
"I suppose." She mused and straightened Megan's hair. "Do you think that I'll be a good mom?" She placed Megan back in her carry cot and fastened the straps.  
  
"I think you'll be a great mom." He smiled encouragingly. "Give it time Cordelia."  
  
"I know! I know!" She laughed. "I'm just being impatient."  
  
"I love it when you laugh like that." He told her, the smile still on his face.  
  
"Like what? A hyena?" She joked.  
  
"No, like you haven't got a care in the world."  
  
"If only that were true." She muttered.  
  
"Do you think maybe in a couple of weeks we could go out on a date?" He suggested, almost shyly. "As a couple."  
  
"I'd like that." She replied, almost as shyly. "To be honest, I've been thinking a lot about what has been going on with us. Knowing that you feel the same way is a relief."  
  
"Feel the same way? Of course I feel the same way!" He exclaimed. "For months I've been unable to think of anything but you."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, I've felt so close to you these past nine months, more than ever before. I've really liked having you living here." He told her. "And I loved it when we went out to dinner together. It felt like we were a real couple, even if it were just for that night."  
  
"I felt that too." She admitted. "I've never felt like that with anyone else. Sure, I've been out with guys and I've dated but I've never felt like part of a couple with any of them. I always thought I was an oddball, until you."  
  
"Until me?" He questioned, a line crinkling on his forehead.  
  
"Yeah." She replied and tears filled her eyes. "I fell in love with my best friend!"  
  
She laughed through her tears when she saw his eyes light up and dabbed at her eyes with her fingertips.  
  
He got up from his chair and knelt in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him so that her head was lying on his shoulder. She draped her arms over his shoulders and held him tight. "God! I'm so emotional right now!"  
  
He laughed. "It'll be all the hormones."  
  
"There must be a lot of them." She replied into his neck.  
  
He pulled back so he could look at her. He brushed his lips across hers gently. "I love you Cor."  
  
"I love you too." She replied and kissed him back, this time with more passion.  
  
His hand tangled in her hair and he pulled her to him so he could deepen the kiss. His tongue explored her mouth, sending shivers through her body. Just as she reached up to his neck with her hand, Megan began to cry.  
  
They pulled apart breathless and then they both laughed. Cordelia reached for her but Angel put a hand on her arm and stopped her. "Let me. You go upstairs and shower."  
  
He stood up and she waited while he'd taken the baby out of her carry cot and sat back down on his chair before she stood up. "Are you sure? I don't expect you to help look after her just because we're becoming involved."  
  
"You mean you're not just with me for my way with babies?" He joked, rocking the baby.  
  
She laughed and swatted him on the shoulder. "Thank you."  
  
He watched her go upstairs and then changed Megan and settled her in the carry cot, still awake but content. He logged on to Cordelia's computer and checked the AI e-mails. There were a few giving them details of new cases which he knew Cordelia would reply to, one from their accountant which he ignored and one from 'witchygal2k'. He clicked on it and found it was from Willow, asking about everyone and informing them of what everyone in Sunnydale had been up to. He flagged it, knowing Cordelia and Wesley would want to see it and logged off.  
  
By the time Cordelia came downstairs he had tidied the office and kitchen and made up enough bottles for Megan for the entire day and night. She had put on a pair of jeans she used to wear before she had gotten pregnant and a pale pink shirt. Her hair was damp and curled under her shoulder blades and Angel couldn't help but think she looked incredibly young with her fresh face and shining skin, fresh from the shower.  
  
"Hey, look at me! All clean and fitting into pre-pregnancy jeans, feeling pretty good except for the fact that the button won't fasten!"  
  
He laughed at her. "You look beautiful."  
  
She shrugged. "I'm still not all thin and toned but at least I have some sort of figure back. But what I don't get is how I can go up two bra sizes in two days! I can't fit into any of my underwear; I'm wearing a hidden support vest under here!" She exclaimed, pressing her hands to her chest and jiggling her breasts. "I'm like a page three girl!"  
  
"I don't have a problem with that." He smiled and came to stand in the lobby with her. "And you know, if Wes or Gunn had come in just then they would be very happy boys."  
  
She laughed and went to wrap her arms around his neck. "I am so happy right now."  
  
"Me too." He agreed. "Now, how do you fancy some eggs and toast? You need to keep your strength up."  
  
She nodded and kissed his cheek. "That would be perfect."  
  
"Good, you have an e-mail from Willow, you should reply to it before she starts thinking that we've all died and wants to come up here." Angel advised.  
  
"Yeah, because a visit from the Scoobies would just make everything even more perfect." She replied dryly. "I'll go and tell her that everything is fine and that nothing has changed since the last time we spoke."  
  
"Maybe you should tell her." He suggested.  
  
She snorted. "And maybe I shouldn't."  
  
He decided to leave her be and went to make her some breakfast.  
  
It was eight thirty by the time Wesley arrived. Angel was sat on the couch with Cordelia sat on a cushion on the floor between his legs, her knees bent upwards. The baby was asleep on her thighs, her hand clasped around Cordelia's finger. Cordelia's head was laid on Angel's left thigh, his hand stroking her hair.  
  
Wes entered the hotel with a look on confusion evident on his face. "Good morning."  
  
Cordelia lifted her head. "Oh, morning Wes, sleep well?"  
  
"Fine, you're very chipper this morning." He commented, standing in front of them. "Is there something I should know here?"  
  
Cordelia turned her head to look at Angel.  
  
"Cordelia and I are... well, I suppose you could say we are dating." Angel told him. "Is that okay with you?"  
  
Wes looked flustered and visibly jumped. "Fine, absolutely fine. How is she this morning?"  
  
He came to peer at the baby and then at Cordelia. "You look very pretty."  
  
She blushed. "Thanks Wes."  
  
He smiled and disappeared into his office.  
  
Gunn and Fred arrived soon afterwards and they made a big fuss of the fact that Angel and Cordelia were seeing each other. Gunn seemed very protective whereas Fred was very excited and giggly. Gunn picked Megan up and fussed her for a while, at least until she needed changing. He handed her back to her mom claiming 'I don't do diapers'. Cordelia got up and changed Megan in the kitchen and then put her in her carry cot so she could do some work.  
  
At a quarter past eleven the phone rang and she picked it up, cheerfully greeting the caller with the AI slogan 'We help the helpless'.  
  
"It's Brian."  
  
Cordelia froze. "What do you want?"  
  
"I'm just checking that you will be in the office around twelve." He told her.  
  
"Why?" She asked before answering.  
  
"I'm going to stop in if you will be there."  
  
"Why?" She repeated, tapping her pencil against the desk.  
  
"Look, let's cut to the chase here." He told her impatiently. "I've had a private detective following you for the past six months. I know you've had her and I want to come and see her."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Is that all you can say?"  
  
"Is that all you can make me say?" She argued. "Answer me, why do you want to come see her? You wanted nothing to do with me or her when you came to see me. Why do you want to see her now?"  
  
"We have things to discuss. Will you be in the office in forty five minutes; you usually are on a Tuesday."  
  
She ignored the need to shout at him. "I'll see you in forty five minutes."  
  
She slammed the phone down before he could say anything else.  
  
"Who was that?" Angel asked, having heard half of the conversation.  
  
"Brian." She almost growled. "He's coming here at twelve."  
  
"Why?" Angel frowned.  
  
"I don't know. He says he wants to see her and that he's had a private detective following me for the past six months!" Cordelia shuddered. "That's so creepy on so many levels."  
  
"Do you want me to kill him for you?" Angel asked.  
  
Cordelia laughed and then realised he was serious. "No! He's human! A creep, but human. I'll deal with Brian. Now I'm no longer pregnant and in my weakened state I'll be able to deal a lot better with that piece of..."  
  
"Okay." He interrupted and squeezed her shoulder. "I get the point. But I'll still be keeping watch when he gets here."  
  
"Okay." She humoured him with a small smile.  
  
When Brian arrived Cordelia was feeding the baby on the couch with Fred sat watching. It was she who noticed him first and touched Cordelia's hand to draw her attention to the doors.  
  
She handed the baby to Fred and she continued to feed her.  
  
"Hi." Cordelia said pleasantly and she saw Angel come out of the kitchen to stand in the doorway.  
  
"Cordelia." He replied curtly. "Is that her?"  
  
She nodded. "Why did you come?"  
  
"You still like to get straight to business, huh?"  
  
She ignored him. "What do you want?"  
  
He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket. "I came to ask you to sign these."  
  
"What are they?" She asked, warily accepting it and opening it.  
  
"I need a guarantee that you're not going to fleece me out of every penny I've got just because you claim to have had my baby." He told her evenly. "You sign this agreement and everything will be fine."  
  
"You mean I shouldn't expect to get any child allowance?" She mocked surprise. "Or any helping in raising your daughter, because she damn well is your daughter!"  
  
"That's your word against mine." He raised an eyebrow. "I should demand a DNA test to prove that I'm not the father."  
  
"I should demand one to prove you are!" She retorted. "I can't believe I actually thought you were a good guy."  
  
She marched across to the counter and slammed the papers down, startling Wes and Gunn who were in Wes's office studying a case. She smoothed them out and started to read them.  
  
Brian wandered over to Fred and Megan. "What are you calling her?"  
  
Angel came to stand in front of Cordelia, on the other side of the counter to her.  
  
"Megan." She replied, not looking up from the papers.  
  
"Are you okay?" Angel asked.  
  
She looked up and smiled. "I'm fine."  
  
She flicked through a couple of pages and when Brian came to stand near her she grabbed a pen and made a big show of signing her name and shoving the papers back in the envelope.  
  
She handed them to him and he shoved them back in his pocket. "Happy now?"  
  
He nodded. "I'd like to say it was as fun as last time but it wasn't."  
  
"The last time we met I told you I was pregnant, I didn't think that was fun for you honey." She told him with a smile. "What with the humiliation and everything."  
  
"Well, the time before then, because that was fun baby. Anytime you want to go again you know where I am. But remember your birth control this time." He smirked.  
  
She shook her head at him. "Maybe we could make this visit a little more memorable for you."  
  
She punched him in the nose, thrusting the heel of her hand upwards so his nose broke.  
  
Angel spluttered behind her and she tried not to laugh herself.  
  
"You broke my fucking nose!" He shouted, clutching his bleeding and rapidly swelling nose.  
  
Wes and Gunn came out of the office and Gunn laughed openly at him.  
  
"Charles!" Fred scolded but she was smiling.  
  
"You can show yourself out." Cordelia told him simply.  
  
He glared at her but turned and left, slamming the door behind him.  
  
"Did I do a good job there?" Cordelia asked, grinning like mad.  
  
Angel came around the counter to hug her.  
  
"I 'aint ever getting on your bad side again girl." Gunn told her with a whistle.  
  
Cordelia kissed Angel on the lips quickly. "From now on I don't have a bad side."  
  
"Did you really sign those papers?" Wes asked.  
  
She suddenly looked sheepish. "I wrote 'Piss off asshole' in the place I was supposed to sign."  
  
Everyone laughed and Angel hugged her again. Brian was gone for good and he had his girl, he was happy.  
  
Cordelia took Megan out in her buggy that afternoon and she was gone a couple of hours.  
  
When she got back she took Angel into Wes's office and shut the door.  
  
"I think you're going to be mad at me." She told him.  
  
"Why?" He asked warily.  
  
She pulled an envelope out of her tote bag. "Here."  
  
He opened it and found the deeds for the hotel. "You bought the hotel?"  
  
"I told you I was going to!" She protested.  
  
"But I told you not to!" He argued. "So you thought you'd go out and do it! What about your future?"  
  
"This is going to be my home. I'm going to convince Dennis to come and haunt this place and we're moving in."  
  
"What about Megan's future?"  
  
"I've still got thirty thousand left and the person I spoke to today is going to put me in touch with someone who can invest it for me. I'll save that to put her through college and we'll live off the money that I get paid, which I might add could go up a bit. This way Megan and I have a home that we're not going to lose and we have a guaranteed home for our business. If we run short of money we'll turn the east wing back into a hotel, how does that sound?" She smirked.  
  
He looked at her and then the papers and then back at her again. "You bought the hotel!"  
  
She nodded and grinned. "Yup!"  
  
He reached out and pulled her to him. "I don't know whether to strangle you or squeeze you to death! You're not going to evict me are you?"  
  
She laughed happily. "Nope. Now all we have to do is pack up all my things and move them here!"  
  
He pulled back and frowned. "There is no 'we' involved in that. I've seen how many clothes and shoes you own. Con someone else into it!"  
  
She looked at him sternly. "I need all of them. Never underestimate the power of a good wardrobe!"  
  
"You'll con Gunn and Wesley into it." He interpreted.  
  
"Yeah." She admitted. "Those two will do anything for me!"  
  
Cordelia went upstairs to bed early that night with Megan in her Moses basket. She owned these halls. All of the doors and windows and piles of crap were hers. She'd start moving all her things in the morning and get herself settled. It would be nice to be close to Angel and the gang. Maybe even Gunn and Wesley would like to move in. Maybe she could even charge them rent. She didn't think they'd like that idea. She'd better not ask them rent. But then again, Angel was already living there so she could charge him rent. Or she could get him to buy her a pair of shoes every week.  
  
She stood in the hallway upstairs with one question in her head. The two doors stared at her ominously. She had to choose one. She could choose the familiar or the unfamiliar.  
  
She opened the door labelled 217.  
  
And made herself at home.  
  
The End 


End file.
